More candidates enrol for vocational studies

The Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) has registered a 20 percent increase in the number of candidates enroling for vocational studies.

This was revealed during the release of the Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificate (UCPC) results in Kampala yesterday.

The UBTEB Executive Secretary, Mr Onesmus Oyesigye, said 4,344 candidates sat for the November/December 2023 UCPC examinations compared to 3,742 in the 2022 examinations.

“Out of the 4,344 candidates who registered for the examinations, 4,059, which is 93 percent, successfully acquired all competencies in their respective trades [courses],” he said. 

He added that out of the 832 female candidates who sat for the examinations, 89.5 percent acquired all the competencies, while 94.4 percent out of the 3,512 male candidates who sat for the exams acquired all the competencies.

“In the 2023 examinations, 4,214 candidates (97 percent) turned up for the examinations, while 130 (three percent) were absent,”  he said.  

He also noted that the majority of the trades are dominated by male candidates totalling 3,600, representing 80 percent compared to their female counterparts at 874 candidates (20 percent).

“Despite having low number of female candidates, certain trades have remained dominated by female candidates, including Uganda Community  Polytechnics Certificate Programme, Garment Design and Construction, Junior Vocational Certificate in Hair Dressing and Body Therapy, and UCPC in Food Preparation and Processing,” he said.

However, Mr Oyesigye decried the high cost of conducting the assessment, especially for the practical-dominated courses and on-spot practical assessment, which are critical in competency-based assessment.

“The Board has advised that in addition to the measures of addressing the funding gaps, institutions deploy low-cost and community-centred development material for practical assessment,” he said.

He added that inadequate equipment like computers, high cost of Internet connectivity services and inadequate human resources in some training institutions, has continued to affect the smooth conduct of examinations.

Education minister Janet Museveni, in a speech read for her by Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the minister of State for Primary Education, said the 20 percent increase in the number of students registering for UCPC programmes is commendable.

“This is proof that Ugandans have appreciated the voluntary uptake of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, and the government will continues to encourage more trainees to make TVET their preferred career choice given its contribution towards building a critical mass of technicians and artisans,” she said.

She said the government has put in place affirmative action through scholarships for persons with special needs and girls to pursue TVET programmes.

“Training competent artisans involves a joint effort and collaboration between institutions, the industry, and assessment bodies,” Ms Museveni said.

She urged heads of centres to dialogue with industrial players for better TVET delivery in Uganda and beyond.

She attributed the good results obtained in the 2023 edition of the exams to recent reforms such as modularised TVET delivery and assessment.

The minister directed principals of TVET institutions to give the 2023 graduates priority in 2024 admission for the national certificate in technical and vocational programmes for smooth upward career progression. 

The UBTEB chairperson, Dr Silver Mugisha, urged the government to fast-track the enactment of the TVET law.

The development, he said, will ensure all TVET players are regulated, monitored, and held accountable for quality TVET delivery and assessment.

[email protected]