education 19 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Busoga Youth Gain Practical Skills and Business Opportunities Through Competency-Based Curriculum
Youth in Uganda's Busoga region are acquiring hands-on skills like electronics, soap making, and bricklaying under the new competency-based curriculum, allowing them to launch small businesses and combat unemployment even before finishing school. Experts highlight its potential to foster self-reliance, though challenges like material shortages persist. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/how-busoga-youth-are-benefiting-from-competency-based-learning--5396484
Young people in Busoga are reaping the rewards of Uganda’s competency-based lower secondary curriculum, introduced in 2020 by the National Curriculum Development Centre and the Ministry of Education and Sports. This approach prioritizes practical projects over pure theory, helping students develop real-world skills alongside their exams.
At Kakira Vocational Training Institute in Jinja City, student Frank Ibanda has mastered house wiring, security camera installation, and alarm systems, equipping him to start his own electrical business. Fellow student Shaban Mukama designed a bicycle-mounted spraying machine that carries jerrycans of herbicides and fertilizers, easing farmers’ workloads and showcasing innovation.
Girls at Wanyange Girls Secondary School are equally empowered. Bushirah Kitosi crafts table decorations, paper stools, dustbins, and baskets from recycled jerrycans, selling them to fund school needs. Dianah Katerega produces insecticides for pest control, while Felista Namata makes soap from sterilized cow dung and local materials, planning to sell it in her mother’s shop.
Boys like Abraham Tusubirwa from St Stephen Secondary School - Budondo have learned mechanical engineering for holiday mechanic work, and Joseph Biyinzika at Kakira High School produces and sells concrete pavers to contribute to school fees.
Fashion student Fiona Francis Namazzi notes that the curriculum provides a strong foundation before vocational training. However, students and educators call for government support to supply materials and equipment, as shortages hinder progress.
Educators such as Evelyn Kagoya from Wanyange and instructors at Kakira emphasize parental buy-in and increased funding. TVET officer Christine Nyiraneza praises the focus on production and sales skills for self-employment. Enabel’s William Yeka highlights partnerships to boost vocational enrollment amid high youth joblessness.
This shift is transforming education in Busoga, turning learners into job creators.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)