TVET Bill Merges Assessment Bodies

Parliament has 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 Ministry of Education already has the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), and I see that this bill proposes the creation of another body—the TVET Council. Similarly, the upcoming Teacher’s Bill seeks to establish a Teacher’s Council,” Asiimwe pointed out. 

Several MPs echoed Asiimwe’s concerns, suggesting that if a council is necessary, it should be one and oversee both higher education and TVET to avoid redundancy. 

However, Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and State Minister for Higher Education Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo disagreed with the proposal, arguing that the functions of the two councils are distinct and cannot be combined.

“The TVET Council and the NCHE have different mandates. Combining them would create operational challenges,” Muyingo explained.

John Ntamuhira Twesigye, MP for Bunyaruguru County and former Executive Secretary for Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board, supported this position, highlighting that TVET delivery has been fragmented for years, and the bill seeks to resolve this issue.

“The roles of NCHE and the TVET Council are not interchangeable. This bill is about creating a focused, efficient framework for technical and vocational education,” Twesigye added. 

Opendi also raised concerns about the creation of the Skills Development Fund, questioning the rationale behind establishing a new financial body when the government has recently dissolved similar entities, such as the Higher Education Financing Board and the Uganda Road Fund.

She argued that the move seemed inconsistent with the broader rationalization strategy under RAPEX, which aims to streamline public agencies and reduce expenditure. "Why are we creating a Skills Development Fund when other funds like the Higher Education Financing Board and the Uganda Road Fund have been removed?" Opendi asked.

In response, the Education Minister explained that the Skills Development Fund serves a distinct purpose, focusing specifically on financing TVET programs and supporting skills development initiatives. The Minister emphasized that this targeted approach was necessary to address the unique needs of the TVET sector.

The proposed Skills Development Fund will operate as a financial pool, with funds allocated by Parliament specifically for the purpose of supporting priority training programs determined by the TVET Council.

In addition to these parliamentary allocations, the fund will be supported by a levy of 10% on the gross annual revenue generated by TVET providers through training and production activities.

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.

“The staff of the Uganda Business, Technical and Examinations Board. other than the Board members shall at the commencement of this Act, be employees of the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board established under this Act. For the avoidance of doubt the Executive Secretary Uganda Business, Technical and Examinations Board in existence immediately before the commencement of this Act shall in the interim be the Executive Secretary for the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board,” the bill reads in part.

For the health assessment bodies, the bill stipulates that the Executive Director of UNMEB will take the lead after the merger. As for the staff employed by the merging agencies, they will be integrated into the new Uganda Health Professionals Assessment Board. However, their continued employment will be subject to the availability of vacancies and as determined by the Minister.

The bill also transfers the TVET functions of the Management Training and Advisory Centre (MTAC) to Nakawa Vocational College, despite resistance from some members of Parliament. In addition, the bill consolidated several laws regulating TVET providers by repealing the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute Act, and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute Act.  

These repealed laws had previously established specialized training centres under various ministries, but under the new legal framework, these centres will now be transformed into colleges, operating under the revised TVET system.

The bill also establishes the TVET Council, which will be empowered to regulate the delivery of TVET in the country. The council will set standards for the establishment of TVET providers, the registration and licensing of TVET trainers, the accreditation of TVET programs and courses, as well as the assessment and certification of trainees. In addition to these functions, the council will have other responsibilities aimed at ensuring the quality and consistency of TVET education across the sector.

According to the act, the Minister may, on the recommendation of the TVET Council, transfer the functions and powers of the Council to local governments through a statutory instrument. This transfer would apply specifically to the regulation and licensing of certain categories of TVET providers or institutions, allowing local governments to oversee and manage TVET operations at the regional or local level.

Additionally, the bill also focuses on the establishment of various educational institutions, including Skills Development Centres (SDCs), Vocational Training Institutes (VTIs), Technical Colleges for Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Health (TCs), National Polytechnics (NPs), and a National Technical University. These institutions are designed to provide continuous skill and knowledge upgrades at a pace suited to the trainees' abilities.

National Polytechnics and the National Technical University will offer technologist degrees and postgraduate degrees, while Vocational Training Institutes and Technical Colleges will award diplomas and certificates. This provision aims to bridge the gap between different levels of TVET education, creating clear pathways for upward mobility and allowing skilled trainees to advance to higher levels, including degrees and technologist qualifications.