education 26 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda Ministry Demands Practical Skills Over Theory from Universities
Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports has urged universities to shift towards Competence-Based Education and Training (CBET), emphasizing the need for graduates with practical skills relevant to the job market. The directive signifies a move away from purely theoretical knowledge towards tangible, demonstrable abilities. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/ministry-to-universities-we-want-tangible-results-not-just-transcript--5473570
The Ministry of Education and Sports is signaling a significant shift in higher education, pushing Ugandan universities to embrace Competence-Based Education and Training (CBET) over traditional knowledge-based instruction. This move, championed by Permanent Secretary Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, aims to ensure graduates possess practical skills demanded by the contemporary job market.
“The learning and teaching process at this level won’t be business as usual,” Dr. Turyagyenda stated, highlighting that academics, including professors, must be prepared to “unlearn, learn and relearn.” This directive follows a year-old call from Education Minister Janet Museveni to retrain lecturers, addressing long-standing employer complaints about graduates lacking essential practical abilities.
At the launch of the €1 million (approximately Shs4.3 billion) Proliferation of Local Expertise in the Development of a Green-Growth Economy (PLEDGE) project, Dr. Turyagyenda stressed the ministry’s focus. “We want tangible results, not theories, not results on a piece of paper but the capacity to do something,” she asserted.
The PLEDGE project, funded by the EU, seeks to bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs by embedding CBET into universities, with initial focuses on coffee, tourism, and horticulture. Institutions like Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda Martyrs University, and international partners are involved.
NCHE Executive Director Prof. Mary Okwakol endorsed CBET as the most effective method for making higher education relevant, stating it “emphasises practical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation, and application of knowledge to real-life situations.” The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is already rolling out CBET standards and training.
Universities are expected to transition to the CBET curriculum for the 2027/2028 academic year, requiring substantial investment in infrastructure and staff development. As Mountains of the Moon University Vice Chancellor Prof. Pius Coxwell Achanga questioned, “Why should someone study Agriculture for all those years and end up riding a boda-boda?”