Courses you can do after P.7, Senior Four

Heads of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions will between February 12 and 16 hold placement meetings for primary seven leavers who missed admission to secondary school this year.

Meetings to take place in four of the country’s main regions will invite prospective candidates to study vocational courses for the award of the nascent Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificate (UCPC).

The UCPC is a qualification awarded to a primary seven leaver who studies one of 15 three-year courses at a TVET institute.

The deputy executive secretary in-charge of examination management at the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (Ubteb), Dr Wilfred Nahamya told Daily Monitor this week that the courses present a great opportunity for those unable to join high school.

“Here a student is taught a skill of their choice which they master and they come out when they have an equivalent of senior four [qualification],” he said, adding that “a student can still take this route and proceed up to the post-graduate level”. 

“The beauty with this is that the student is trained in a certain employable skill,” he said.

Available courses include welding and metal fabrication; motor vehicle mechanics; block laying and concrete practice; electrical installation practice; plumbing and pipe fitting; carpentry and joinery; community polytechnic certificate in agriculture; garment design and construction.

Others are; fabric and interior design; food preparation and processing; leather work and shoe making; business studies (accounting); business studies (computer studies); business studies (secretarial studies); and business studies (store keeping).

An admission notice released by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ms Ketty Lamaro, says requirements for application are that as long as one holds a P.7 certificate, regardless of the scores, you are eligible for admission.

The applicant may also have a valid identification card and birth certificate, among others.

“Photocopies of pass slips, certificates, a recent passport size photograph should be attached on the filled application form and returned to any of the mentioned regional selection centres or government TVET institutions by 9th February 2024,” reads the notice.

This year at least 88,269 pupils who sat the 2023 primary leaving exams but did not qualify for senior one admission are eligible for TVET entry.

Others eligible are the 133,502 students who qualified for senior one admission but were not selected by over 2,000 secondary schools which participated in the senior one selection exercise held last week.

Only 515,160 candidates, out of the 648,662 who passed P.7, were chosen during the exercise.

Acting commissioner for basic secondary schooling at the Education ministry, Dr Jane Egau chaired the senior one selection committee and warned schools against admitting pupils who did not meet their respective cut-off points. Dr Egau warned that whoever is admitted this way will not be registered by the national examinations body. It is believed that many top flight schools are in the habit of selling places to pupils who do not meet the pass mark but whose parents can afford to ‘bribe’ their way in.

Receiving of applications for TVET admission ends on February 9, at Ntinda Vocational Training Institute (Central Region); St. Kizito Technical Institute, Madera (Soroti, Eastern Region); Bobi Community Polytechnic (Omoro District, Northern region) and Kakiika Technical School (Mbarara City for South Western).

“Application [forms] can also be obtained from… TVET institutions across the country, Ministry of Education and Sports headquarters… and ministry website tvet.go.ug and www.education.go.ug,” Ms Lamaro’s notice said, indicating that the forms are free of any charge.

LIST OF COURESES

Courses a P7 leaver can pursue at Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificate.

1.    Welding and Metal Fabrication.
2.    Motor Vehicle Mechanics.
3.    Block Laying and Concrete Practice.
4.    Electrical Installation Practice.
5.    Plumbing and Pipe Fitting.
6.    Carpentry and Joinery.
7.    Agriculture.
8.    Garment Design and Construction.
9.    Fabric and Interior Design.
10. Food Preparation and Processing.
11. Leather Work & Shoe Making.
12. Business studies (Accounting).
13. Business studies (Computer studies).
14. Business studies (Secretarial studies).
15. Business studies (Store keeping).

Courses offered for National Certificate (Technical) for Senior Four leaver
1.    Business Studies
2.    Purchasing and Supplies Management.
3.    Marketing.
4.    Secretarial Studies.
5.    Accounting and Finance.
6.    Accounting and Finance.
7.    Business Management.
8.    Cosmetology.
9.    Records and Information Management.
10. Hotel and Institutional Catering.
11. Secretarial and Information Management.
12. Procurement and Supplies Management.
13. Clearing and Forwarding.
14. Public Administration and Management.
15. Social Work and Social Administration.
16. Entrepreneurship and Business Management.
17. Tourism and Hospitality Management.
18. Computer Science and Technology.
19. Computing and Information Systems.
20. Computer Engineering.
21. Journalism and Media Studies.
22. Science and Nutrition.
23. Logistics Management.
24. Guidance and Counselling.
25. Information and Communication Technology.

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