URSB urged to safeguard student innovations under new curriculum

As Uganda embraces a competence-based curriculum that encourages students to develop practical solutions, concerns are rising about the protection of their intellectual property (IP).

The Ministry of Education and Sports, in collaboration with the Uganda Registration Service Bureau (URSB), has issued a call to action for educational institutions to actively promote the registration of student innovations.

This initiative aims to safeguard students’ creative work from potential misuse and plagiarism, ensuring they retain ownership and can benefit from their inventions. Permanent Secretary Ms. Kedrace Turyagyenda highlighted the growing number of creative ideas emerging from schools that currently lack IP protection.

“Intellectual property is so fundamental…” Ms. Turyagyenda stated, emphasizing its role in valuing and protecting creative outputs. She noted that without proper legal frameworks, original ideas can be easily appropriated by others, hindering local technological advancement.

The URSB, defining IP as creations of the mind such as inventions and artistic works, grants creators exclusive rights to their work for a specified period. In partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization, URSB launched a school program last year to integrate IP awareness, aiming to equip learners with the knowledge to identify, protect, and commercialize their creations.

Registrar General of URSB, Mercy Kainobwisho, stressed the importance of early IP education, particularly with the shift towards a more practical curriculum. While educationists welcome the move, some, like Ms. Moreen Asiimwe, have raised practical concerns about potential similarities in student projects due to standardized curriculum themes.

Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/education/ursb-urged-to-protect-student-innovations-5455132