Govt declares eight vocational subjects redundant

Government is in advanced stages of scrapping eight critical subjects from the current curriculum of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

The development, which is starting with 146 public TVETs across the country, will see five science subjects including Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, English and four arts subjects which are Entrepreneurship, History, and Business Studies cease being taught.

Different heads of public TVETs and multiple trainers of the redundant subjects are expected to meet officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) at Nakawa Vocational Training Institute today, to find solutions for the unspecified number of trainers who are about to be unemployed.

A January 18 letter inviting different stakeholders, which was signed by Mr Eddy Turyatemba, the assistant commissioner of TVET at MoES on behalf of the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Ketty Lamaro, explains why the government is taking this decision.

Mr Turyatemba in the letter informed the stakeholders that the affected subjects were rendered redundant after the government enacted the 2019 TVET policy, which introduced the Competence Based TVET Curriculum.

“Trainers of the above-mentioned subjects cannot be promoted in the TVET system thus being proposed to be transferred as teachers in secondary schools,” the letter reads in part.

In a telephone interview with this publication on January 23, Mr Turyatemba confirmed the development but declined to divulge details.

“Yes there is a meeting happening tomorrow but it is an internal matter, which has not been made public yet,” he said and referred us to the ministry spokesperson.

The new development, if implemented, will see TVET students attaining only skills without basic knowledge like expressing themselves in English among others.

The State minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysestom Muyingo, told Daily Monitor that everything that is going on is aimed at addressing the needs of employers who have on several occasions faulted institutes for producing unskilled graduates.

“Science is not all about studying Physics, Chemistry and Biology. What is happening is that we are reviewing what is being taught so that we address the needs of the employer in the job market. That is why we are coming up with those reforms,” he said.

In 2019, the government enacted TVET policy which framers say was aimed at increasing the quality of education offered at different TVETs, both public and private.

Among the policy’s core aims was reviewing and developing TVET curricula based on the relevant occupational standards, which led to the birth of Competence Based TVET Curriculum.

Government in the policy seeks integrated and mainstream training of TVET lecturers, tutors, instructors and trainers within the TVET system and subjecting them to the minimum competence-based qualifications.

“The policy aims at improving the quality of the TVET system….through….reviewing and developing a TVET-specific admission system for the relevant qualification levels, and as well regularising the TVET assessment and certification body with specific functions related to the preparation, coordination, research and promotion of; syllabi, examination, assessment and certification of learners,” it reads in part.

“…..strengthening the capacities of both public and private TVET institutions and providers; developing mechanisms to enable both employers and the private sector to define the occupational and competence standards,” it adds.

Mr Muyingo said they are not happy to see many of the children who come out of the TVET institutions jobless, “that is why we want them to create their own jobs or fit into the job market when they are fully employed”. 

“In the TVET policy, we are involving the employer in determining what is going to be taught. If the employer, says we no longer need this kind of skill, we should be able to respond as fast as possible,” he said.

Education experts, however, said scrapping off critical subjects like science is suicidal for a country which has directed its efforts in developing through promotion of science.  

The Secretary General of the Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union (UPSTU), Mr Aaron Mugaiga, said anything that is in line with scrapping instead of promoting science subjects is equally hindering development.

“When it comes to transferring them to secondary schools, vacancies are very many because we have seen gaps in secondary schools,” he said.

The Monitor understands that the planned move has sparked outrage at the MoES where some officials have opposed the move which they say will suffocate the TVET department.

“People are manipulating the policy. During the consultations with Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), they (FUE) rejected that move and even us (MoES) to strengthen those subjects because they said some students cannot express themselves well in basic English but some officials chose to just scrap them off,” a source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.

The source added that the officials championing this move have made it without even first having a plan for the unspecified number of teachers who will become unemployed, “but they are hinting on taking them to government schools which they are not aware of”.

All this goes on at a time when the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) is undertaking multiple reviews of the TVET curriculum which has not been approved yet.

Mr Mugaiga warned officials to go slow on their plans which he said may become catastrophic if not well handled.

“The only challenge is that sometimes you do not have to dig a hole in order to cover another hole because if you remove them from the other side where they were serving and then trade them to cover this side, it means you are left with a gap on their side,” he said.

An educationist and a senior lecturer at UMCAT School of Journalism and Business Studies, Mr Eryeza Ochen, said: “I have heard that there is some redesign of the curriculum but I don’t know the details. If there are proposals, I may not be able to talk about them”. 

Aims of the 2019 TVET Policy 
• Developing a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Qualifications Framework and ensuring that it is applied during implementation. 

• Strengthening the capacities of both public and private TVET institutions and providers. 

• Developing mechanisms to enable both employers and the private sector to define the occupational and competence standards. 

• Reviewing and developing TVET curricula based on the relevant occupational standards. 

• Reviewing and developing a TVET-specific admission system for the relevant qualification levels in consultation with the World of Work. 

• Integrating and mainstreaming training of TVET lecturers, tutors, instructors and trainers within the TVET system and subjecting them to the minimum competence-based qualifications taking into account their individual industry, apprenticeship and relevant workplace experiences. 

• Regularising the TVET assessment and Certification Body with specific functions related to the preparation, coordination, research and promotion of; syllabi, examination, assessment and certification of learners and TVET trainers, as per the agreed upon occupational standards in line with the career pathways and regional standards and practices. 

• Promoting research and innovation in all TVET institutions and to all TVET providers.

Compiled by Busein Samilu, Priscila Maloba & Sylivia Katushabe