Options open for 40,000 students who failed UCE
Dr Okumu said the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) issues technical certificates for those people who undertake vocational training and are capable of being employed internationally. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- This certificate, Mr Kabuku said, will place such students at the level of those who have attained UCE, but also expose them to employment opportunities if they cannot immediately enroll for Level Two Certificate.
Kampala. A candidate attains Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) when he or she scores Grade One to Four in the Ordinary Level exams.
In the recently released O-Level exams results, the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) reported that a total of 42,334 candidates of the 330,721 who sat the UCE exams, failed and will not qualify to join Senior Five (S.5).
This number looks huge compared to the 4,721 who did not show up for the UCE exams despite being registered by their schools. However, this does not mean there is no hope for these students who either failed or did not show up for the exams because there are other options for them to pursue vocational or technical education.
The Deputy Director in Charge of Assessment at the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), Dr Michael Okumu, yesterday asked parents not to abandon their children because they failed to acquire UCE. He said the best options are in technical and vocational studies whose certificates are recognised internationally.
“The issue is not about failing academically like at the UCE level. Those young people will still make it to the top in vocational skills. These skills will make them get employment or employ themselves,” Dr Okumu said.
He cited some of the vocational skills as electrical installation, building and construction, plumbing, catering and cookery, tailoring and garment cutting, hairdressing, and carpentry and joinery. He named others as motor vehicle engineering, shoe-making, painting and decoration, and television and phone repairing.
Dr Okumu said the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) issues technical certificates for those people who undertake vocational training and are capable of being employed internationally.
“Vocational training is hands-on and those who achieve these certificates can be employed anywhere in the world as long as they have UBTEB certificates. As DIT, we also assess their competence and issue them with occupational competence based certificates to attach to the technical ones,” he said.
Dr Okumu warned Ugandans against underrating the vocational skills training, saying even those who join S.5 and study up to university will still need such skills to overcome the burden of unemployment.
The Principal of Holy Transfiguration Vocational and Business College, Fort Portal, Mr Ronald Kabuku, said students who fail to attain O-Level certificates are enrolled for vocational studies and study for one year to get Level One Certificate.
This certificate, Mr Kabuku said, will place such students at the level of those who have attained UCE, but also expose them to employment opportunities if they cannot immediately enroll for Level Two Certificate.
The government plans to establish technical colleges at sub-county level to help skill Ugandans.
