State Minister for Primary Education, Joyce Moriku Kaducu, has expressed appreciation to the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) and heads of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions for upholding high standards during the November/December 2023 exams.
Kaducu said this while visiting Nakawa Vocational Training College on Wednesday. She commended its conducive learning environment, practical sessions, and the quality of products made by learners, suggesting they could compete internationally.
“We are proud of because you can see the environment is very conducive. The environment is very clean, peaceful, and demonstrates a true environment for a learning process.If you look at the designs, those are modern designs. If you look at the machines, they are really doing an incredible job.” she said
The minister urged support for local products, emphasizing the need to buy from these skilled students instead of importing similar items.
Kaducu applauded the increasing number of female students in TVET, encouraging them to pursue courses traditionally seen as male-dominated. She visited various sections, including building, plumbing, mechanics, and electricity, where she observed both girls and boys excelling.
“We went to the building section, plumbing work, mechanics, electricity were saw the girls are there in every section. That shows to you that the job market is giving an opportunity to both girls and boys.” She added
Dr. Wilfred Nahamya, Deputy UBTEB Executive Secretary, expressed satisfaction with the exam conduct, praising the adherence to procedures and the availability of materials.
“I want to thank the principals because the materials are enough, I didn’t see a situation where the learners are waiting for certain materials to start on the exams,” he added.
Muwanga Godfrey, the principal of Nakawa Vocational Training College, appreciated UBTEB and the government, he however raised concerns about high material costs and limited space.
He revealed training costs of approximately 1,200,000 shillings per student per module and the challenges of industries being unresponsive to instructor training.
The ongoing November/December 2023 exams involve over 100,000 students at 624 examination centers across Uganda, marking a significant increase from the previous series.
A total of 102,132 candidates, with 34,822 females and 67,310 males, were registered.