Vocational Trainers Implore President M7 to Reject TVET Bill

The Uganda Technical and Vocational Trainers Union (UTVTU) has made a passionate appeal to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to withhold his assent to the Technical Vocational Education and Training Bill (TVET).

The Union claims the bill has contradictory sections such as sections 8, 30, and 33, among others, which it believes could have far-reaching and detrimental consequences for the education sector.

The object of the Bill is to provide for the institutional framework for the coordination, regulation, and promotion of TVET in various aspects

Agaba Norbert, the General Secretary (UTVTU), argued that these contradictions could lead to confusion, overlap, and inefficiency in the implementation of TVET programs.

The Union’s plea to President Museveni is not just about halting the assent to the bill but also about ensuring that the legislation is thoroughly reviewed and refined to address the concerns of stakeholders in the education sector.

Agaba believes that the government can create a more effective and sustainable TVET system that benefits all Ugandans.

Parliament early this week approved a sweeping overhaul of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector by passing the much-anticipated TVET Bill.

The legislation, which now awaits presidential assent, promises to streamline the coordination, regulation, and promotion of TVET in the country.

The bill passed on Tuesday after a heated debate, aims to operationalize the 2019 TVET policy and harmonize the fragmented TVET landscape currently spread across various institutions, departments, and agencies. It also repeals the Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training Act.

The TVET Bill also aims to unify the legal framework governing TVET providers by repealing several existing laws, including the Business, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act; the Management Training and Advisory Centre Act; the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute Act; and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute Act.

Before the bill was passed, Parliament engaged in a heated debate, with several MPs, including Enos Asiimwe, Dan Atwijukire Kimosho and Sarah Opendi, raising concerns about the creation of the proposed TVET Council and Skills Development Fund. They questioned the rationale for establishing new bodies, given the government’s ongoing efforts under the Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) initiative, which seeks to reduce the number of such entities. 

The bill also proposes the consolidation of TVET assessment bodies to streamline operations in Uganda’s skills development sector. Currently, four bodies oversee examinations and assessments; the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB), the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB), and the Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board (UAHEB).

Under the new law, if enacted, UNMEB and UAHEB will merge to form the Uganda Health Professionals Assessment Board, which will be responsible for developing curricula, conducting assessments, and overseeing examinations for nursing, midwifery, and allied health training programs.

Similarly, UBTEB and DIT will be combined into the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board. This new body will manage the curriculum, assessments, and examinations across a broader spectrum of technical and vocational disciplines, ensuring consistency and quality in skills development.

As the merger of TVET assessment bodies takes place, staff currently employed by UBTEB have been given protection under the act, with their roles explicitly ring-fenced. However, the act does not specify the future of staff from the DIT, leaving their fate uncertain.