UBTEB to start assessing Kyambogo University TVET programmes, says Board Chair

KAMPALA – The Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board – UBTEB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kyambogo University to assess their TVET programmes and courses both at Diploma and Certificate level, Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha – Board Chairperson said.

He was on Wednesday speaking at the release of the UBTEB November-December 2023 Examination results for National Certificate Courses and Diploma Programmes at Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT)-Nakawa.

“I am grateful to Prof. Eli Katunguka, the Vice Chancellor and his Technical team at Kyambogo University for the collaboration in the deliberations and processing of this MOU.”

Dr. Mugisha said that such partnerships have paved the way for the contribution of technical and professional expertise and deepened both knowledge and practice in the assessment process of the Board.

He was pleased to announce the Board’s key milestones of releasing the first cohort of trainees under the modularized assessment.

“The Board in collaboration with TVET-O&M Department successfully launched the modular training and assessment in 2022 beginning with courses under the Community Polytechnics and National Certificates. With the new modularized assessment, more enrollment and better performance has been registered compared to the era of the original traditional methods of assessment,” he said.

He commended the stakeholders especially the Technical Vocational Education and Training Assessment working groups and other stakeholders from the industry for their significant contributions during the process of developing assessment guidelines and modules.

Dr. Mugisha reported that their Strategic Plan has prioritized addressing the critical and scarce skills through alignment of the assessment to the demands of the industry.

“This has been achieved through the promotion of close working relations with the industry and modularized assessment of competencies.”

Some of the other key milestones achieved include;

Modularised assessment of TVET

Dr. Mugisha said that to align the Board to the TVET reforms, in 2022, they rolled out modular assessment in a phased manner. He revealed that they plan to roll out modular assessments of all courses and Programmes by 2025.

Progress of Construction of UBTEB Assessment Centre Project

He revealed that the construction of the five-storey UBTEB Assessment Centre project that started in 2022 is now at 48 % work progress though below schedule due to the untimely release of funds and budget cuts.

“I would like to inform you Hon. Minister that through your efforts Parliament approved a supplementary budget of shs7.5bn for work to continue. The Board is grateful to you for the funds so far released towards the construction of this project. However, an additional 8.7bn will be required in the next FY 2024/2025 budget for its completion.”

Examination Information Management System (EIMS)

Following the upgrade of the Examination Information Management system, Dr. Mugisha said that the Board has now made it easy for students to pay examination registration fees online using the school pay platform, and improved the processing of examination results including upload of coursework marks and processing of academic documents.

“In the near future, the Board plans to roll out the online certification and verification of Awards. With online Award certification and verification, Educational Institutions and prospective employers will access graduates’ certified academic documents issued by the Board. This will reduce on the travel costs for graduates to certify documents at the UBTEB Secretariat.”

Key factors critical for the success of TVET/UBTEB assessment

He commended Minister Janet Museveni for her efforts towards the enactment of the proposed TVET Bill which if passed will minimize the key challenges faced by the TVET Subsector including the TVET Assessment.

He also wants the development of the National TVET Qualifications Framework to be given top priority – noting that it will enable smooth implementation of the envisaged reforms enshrined in the TVET Policy 2019.

Dr. Mugisha also called for effective placement and supervision of TVET candidates in industrial attachments to perfect their competencies.

“There are significant strides by some institutions to initiate MOUs with industries.  The government should complement these efforts through lobbying and strong collaborations for apprenticeship, internship and industrial training.”