The Ugandan government is in the process of eliminating eight crucial subjects from the current Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum. This move follows the implementation of the 2019 TVET policy, which introduced the Competence-Based TVET Curriculum.
In this development, starting with 146 public TVETs nationwide, five science subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and English) and four arts subjects (Entrepreneurship, History, and Business Studies) will no longer be taught.
Different heads of public TVETs and trainers of the affected subjects are set to meet Ministry of Education and Sports officials to address the concerns of trainers facing unemployment due to these changes.
According to a letter dated January 18 from the Assistant Commissioner of TVET, Mr. Eddy Turyatemba, these subjects have become redundant under the new policy, and the affected trainers may be transferred as teachers in secondary schools.
The State Minister for Higher Education, Mr. John Chrysestom Muyingo, stated that these reforms aim to address the needs of employers and ensure TVET graduates are better equipped for the job market.
The 2019 TVET policy, enacted to improve education quality, focuses on reviewing and developing curricula based on relevant occupational standards, ultimately leading to the introduction of the Competence-Based TVET Curriculum.
While the government emphasizes aligning TVET programs with employer needs, critics, including the Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union, argue that scrapping science subjects hinders the country’s development efforts.
The move has sparked controversy within the Ministry of Education, with some officials opposing it, citing potential negative impacts on the TVET department. Concerns have been raised about the lack of a clear plan for the unemployed teachers and the ongoing curriculum reviews by the National Curriculum Development Centre.
Education experts caution against hastily implementing these changes, emphasizing the importance of addressing potential gaps in the education system.
