Technical and vocational education and training institutions have been assured that programmes whose curricula have not yet been reviewed under the new TVET law will continue operating using the existing curricula.
Officials from the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) and the TVET Council say the arrangement is intended to ensure that training continues without disruption as institutions adjust to the requirements of the new law.
Jalia Nasaza, Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of curriculum development at UVTAB, told institutions not to worry about areas still awaiting review. “They will continue using the existing one for the time being until reviews are completed,” Nasaza said.
Under the TVET Act 2025, UVTAB is responsible for developing and managing TVET curricula in consultation with Sector Skills Expert Committees and TVET providers, subject to approval by the TVET Council. Although the law requires all taught courses to run on Council-approved curricula, officials say not everything can be reviewed at the same time.
Lovance Kyarizi, manager for curriculum services at the TVET Council, explained that reviews are prioritised on the basis of necessity rather than working through every programme at once. She added that the first to be addressed were those that had already expired or fallen due for update, meaning trainers in those fields were, in effect, teaching to a syllabus the industry had already moved past.
“Programmes that are still valid, by contrast, will simply carry on as they are,” she said. “Some are still valid and relevant, and they will remain in effect until the industry requires change, and the change can happen even in the short term as we want them to match the world of work. If they call for review, we will go for it,” she said, adding that several curricula are excluded from the current cycle simply because they are too new, having been developed only recently.
So far, the TVET Council has approved 17 competency-based National Technician Diploma curricula focused on technical programmes, including mechanical, electrical, civil engineering and ICT. A further batch of about 18 curricula in the business line is currently under review.
According to available information, the TVET Council has authorised 71 National Diploma programmes for training and assessment across Technology Education and Training, Business Education and Training, Agriculture, Home Science and Sports. Meanwhile, UVTAB has begun orienting trainers on the new curricula, and the exercise is more of a top-up than a reset.
Unlike secondary education, where competence-based approaches are relatively new, TVET has run competency-based programmes for years; the current round of training is therefore focused on integrating newly added elements into methods trainers already know, rather than teaching an unfamiliar model from scratch.
Orientation sessions are scheduled to run at several centres, including Nakawa VTC, UTC Bushenyi, UTC Lira and UTC Elgon, so that trainers across regions are reached rather than only those at a single institution.
Onesmus Oyesigye, Executive Secretary of UVTAB, said the new curricula have been deliberately broken down to match what specific sectors actually need, rather than kept as broad, generalist courses.
He pointed to the splitting of Mechanical Engineering into specialised areas such as Mechatronics and Heavy and Light Automotive Technology, and the division of Civil Engineering into a dedicated Bridges and Roads Technology stream, as examples of how the reform narrows training toward specific job families.
“This approach of curriculum development ensures that our graduates possess specialised employable skills that are directly applicable to their chosen fields, thereby enhancing their employability, career progression and entrepreneurial potential,” Oyesigye said.
He went on to ask trainers to flag any gaps they encounter as they begin teaching the new content, share what works with colleagues at other institutions, and help build practical strategies for rolling the curricula out consistently across the network of providers, rather than leaving implementation to vary from one college to the next. Reaction from trainers already working with the new material has been mixed.
Patrick Sunday Aswiime, a master trainer, described the new curriculum as a major shift because it gives greater emphasis to hands-on training. About 70 percent of the curriculum is practical, he said. Aswiime said the approach brings training closer to what employers expect graduates to do from their first day at work, rather than focusing mainly on their ability to recall theoretical knowledge.
Amina Nakayima, an ICT trainer at Nakawa Vocational College, was more cautious. While she agreed that the curriculum is sound, she warned that some units are too broad for the time allocated to cover them effectively. She said trainers may be forced to rush through practical sessions or leave out some content to stay on schedule, potentially leaving learners without the depth of skills the curriculum is intended to develop.
These developments coincide with the opening of admissions for National Technician Diploma programmes for the 2026/2027 training year. Permanent Secretary Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda announced that accredited diploma-level TVET providers will handle applications directly.
Applicants have until 21 September 2026 to submit completed forms, supporting documents and proof of payment of the Shs40,000 application fee to their chosen provider. Interviews and practical assessments by institutional admissions committees will run from 22 to 24 September, with admission lists due for publication by 28 September.
All successful trainees, whether government- or privately sponsored, must report by 7 October 2026. To qualify, applicants need a National Craftsman Certificate or its equivalent, a successful prior-learning assessment to competence level three, or a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) with at least one principal pass in core subjects plus two subsidiary passes, or an equivalent qualification under the TVET framework-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
