By Martin Kitubi
The acting head of the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), Patrick Byakatonda, has urged parents and students to attend the New Vision Education Expo, which starts this Friday.
He says the expo will help you better understand the lower secondary curriculum and the opportunities in vocational training.
The education is planned to take place between January 27 and 29 at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Nakawa, Kampala. The expo’s theme is – where education and the world of employment meet.
“Parents need to appreciate the curriculum and should attend the expo to assist learners to make the right career paths,” Byakatonda says. “The revised lower secondary school curriculum is a game changer in our education sector. It will enable us to produce secondary school graduates with employable skills,”
Effective this year, students enrolled under the new curriculum will receive a Level One vocational certificate after completing Senior Three. This certificate, which will be given to students by DIT, is equivalent to the Uganda Certificate of Education awarded by the Uganda National Examinations Board after passing the Senior Four exams.
“Unlike in the old curriculum, under the new one, a student leaves O’level with two certificates,” Byakatonda adds. “The learner will be able to weld or make soap or produce furniture at Senior Three,”
Opportunities
While the Government has been retooling teachers to effectively teach the curriculum, which was introduced in 2020, some parts of this syllabus are not yet well appreciated by the instructors, parents and learners.
That is why an expo, which is organised to bring together actors in the sector to further break down the curriculum and show learners and parents the opportunities it presents, is important.
One of the key topics to be discussed by educational specialists at the expo is how a student with a vocational certificate obtained after Senior Three can progress to the university in case they choose to leave school before completing O’ level.
The experts will also discuss the employment opportunities this certificate allows you access to as well as what it means to leave O’level with two certificates.
“We will explain what this means in detail at the expo,” Byakatonda says.
This expo, which will bring together various players, including manufacturers and suppliers of educational products and services, also aims to increase stakeholder collaboration to improve learning.
Besides the training sessions, there will also be sufficient space for training institutions and all educational service providers to showcase their products and get new clients as well as increase the visibility of their brands.
The expo, which takes place just a week ahead of the beginning of the first school term this year, presents businesses and parents with opportunities to sell and buy scholastic items for their children. The entrance fee is sh10,000.
