UBTEB moves to withdraw center numbers of institutes with no standard requirements

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board-UBTEB has threatened to withdraw center numbers of tertiary institutions that have failed to comply with the standard requirements set by the board.

The UBTEB Senior Assessment Officer of Agricultural sciences, Dr. Allison Ashaba Rwakanuma disclosed this at a press briefing at Kadogo Community Polytechnic School in Mbarara City on Monday.

He said that they have commenced a three-week routine assessment exercise for all private and public technical and vocational education institutions to ensure continuous improvement through training and quality education offered to learners.

The assessment team is looking out for key requirements such as valid license or registration certificate from the Ministry of Education and National Council for Higher Education for institutes offering diploma programs, quality of staff and management team, infrastructure such as training workshops, laboratories, lecture rooms, and ICT facilities among others.

Elioda Tumuheirwe, a senior inspector of schools in the western region in the Directorate of Education Standards under the Ministry of Education and Sports, says that his focus is on private schools to make sure their standards match the ones of public institutes.

He says besides the checklist designed by UBTEB, the ministry has also designed a special checklist for private institutes.

Dan Maloba, the Deputy head instructor of Kadogo Community Polytechnic School appreciates the assessment noting that it is useful and helps get rid of institutions that defraud students.

Ashaba says UBTEB currently oversees 616 institutes across the country up from 123 in 2011. He explains over 278 institutions have full accreditation while 327 are operating on a provisional basis. UBTEB is a statutory national assessment body established by the Act of Parliament that is mandated to regulate, coordinate and conduct credible examinations for the awards of certificates and diplomas to students in business, technical and vocational professions in Uganda.

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