This article was first published on the New Vision website on April 8, 2023
By John Masaba
New statistics released by the government show that student completion rates in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) are improving.
According to Onesmus Oyesigye, the executive secretary of Uganda Business and Technical Examinations (UBTEB), this is an indication that the government’s campaign to increase the uptake of TVET in the country is bearing fruit.
He noted, for example, that out of the 66,954 candidates who sat for the 2022 November/December examinations, 52,373 candidates (78.2%) successfully acquired all competencies in their respective trades.
Female candidates contributed 15,705 (30%) to this successful completion compared to male candidates with 36,668 (70%).
He made the revelations during the release of the November and December UBTEB exams at the President’s Office in Kampala on Wednesday.
“There was a very good performance exhibited in the Physical and Biological Science diploma end of the program with a 100% pass rate, the Business Diploma End of the program (82.3%), Technical National Certificate modular assessment (80.05%), and Technical National certificate end of program assessments, 76.3%,” he said.
All other programs were also well performed, with pass rates above 70%, and this is a commendable performance, he added.
Compared to the November/December 2020 examination results, where 15,019 candidates sat for examinations and 11,334 (75%) completed them, there was a 3.2% performance improvement from 75% in 2020 to 78.2% in 2022.
However, he said the number of candidates who acquired full competencies was lower than expected for those who pursued certificates in leather tanning & production, welding and metal fabrication, woodwork technology, and certificate in machining and fitting.
“The Board will share this feedback with the Heads of the examination center to identify and address points of weaknesses,” he said.
