UBTEB 24,000 Students to Sit April-May TVET Examinations

By | May 5, 2022
UBTEB Executive Secretary, Mr. Onesmus Oyesigye addressing the press on Saturday at the UBTEB Secretariat in Ntinda (PHOTO/NELSON MANDELA/UG Standard)

KAMPALA – A total of 24,860 students are set to do their April-May 2022 Technical and Vocational Education and Training – TVET examinations from 261 examinations centres across the country.

The revelation was made by Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) Executive Secretary, Mr. Onesmus Oyesigye while addressing the press on Saturday at the UBTEB Secretariat in Ntinda.

According to him, 6,963 students, 1,157 of whom are females, are doing their Higher National Diploma-Technical and Vocational Diploma from 19th April to 2nd May.

3,050 students doing Physical Sciences, Biological and Agricultural Sciences will sit their exams from April 13 to May 12. 1,107 of these are females.

Another category of Business and Humanities will see a total of 14,847 students do their exams from April 22 to May 6. 10,293 of these are females.

Oyesigye told the media that since the opening of the education and training institution in November 2021, UBTEB has conducted two phases of examinations for candidates pursuing TVET programmes across the country from December 13 – 22, 2021 and from January 24 to February 2, 2022, respectively.

“The Board released the results of candidates who sat for examinations in January February 2022 on 11 April 2022. The Board registered progressive improvements in candidates’ performance.”

He revealed that they registered a total of 37 candidates with special needs including, deaf dyslexia and physical disability for which the Board has deployed 8 support personnel to assist them.

The Board conducted other continuous assessment processes like the assessment of real-life projects for candidates pursuing Higher National Diploma-Technical and Vocational Diploma programmes

As part of the implementation of TVET policy reforms, NDPI11 recommendations, the Executive Secretary said the Board has rolled out modularized assessment syllabi for all Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificates (UCPC) and 13 National Certificate Technical programmes effective 2022 intake The Board will conduct the first modularized assessment in July 2022.

He said it is very important to make TVET courses more prominent through programs like the loan scheme, saying that the TVET is the game-changer since technical products are job creators.

He also decried the “very expensive” materials needed for these courses “especially now that we are pushing for competence-based training” and students must do exactly what they are supposed to do in the field.

“Even government putting up infrastructure, procuring more equipment but these require materials for students use,” said ES.

He is, however, optimistic that the government will subsidize technical education.

Mr. Oyesigye appealed to Heads of centres and candidates to adhere and observe Standard and to desist from involvement in any form of examinations malpractices to avoid tough penalties.

While speaking at the Board’s 10th anniversary at Hotel Africana last month, Janet Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports commended the Board for the ever-increasing number of female candidates in TVET professions, something she said is a big step forward in achieving gender equity.

She also appealed to young boys and girls to get interested in TVET programmes where the gained skills can enable them start-up income-generating projects or get gainful employment.

Mrs. Museveni said that in 2011, UBTEB made ambitious and strategic decisions to realign TVET assessment through Competence-Based Assessment, which she says has resulted in a number of milestones at the institutional and national levels.