The Ugandan government has introduced stricter regulations under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act, 2025, which threaten the validity of qualifications awarded through programmes that fail to meet the required vocational standards. Parents and students have been urged to exercise caution before enrolling in or paying tuition for diploma and certificate programmes offered by universities. This warning comes as many universities have refused to adapt to the realities of the new TVET Act and continue teaching and internally assessing certificate and diploma programmes.
According to Wilson Muhumuza, a senior quality assurance officer at the Uganda Health Professions Assessment Board (UHPAB), many universities are still teaching certificate and diploma programmes despite the new regulations. Muhumuza urged the Ministry of Education and Sports and its counterpart at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to address the matter. He warned that parents and students will end up as victims if they do not verify the legitimacy of the programmes.
Onesmus Oyesigye, Executive Secretary of the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB), noted that very few universities have accepted the requirements, brought their programmes for accreditation, and presented students for national examinations. Oyesigye advised universities to comply with the law, as the period they spend without bringing their students for assessment is affecting the students.
Alex Byarugaba, Principal State Attorney at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, stressed that ensuring the message on the law's demands reaches every stakeholder is not solely the ministry's role but everyone's responsibility, including assessment bodies. Byarugaba explained that a university can remain a university, but for TVET purposes, it must also become a TVET provider.
Under the enforcement of the TVET Act, which came into force on 15 March 2025, holding a general university charter is no longer enough to offer vocational courses. Universities must be explicitly accredited and licensed as a TVET provider by the TVET Council, and their specific programmes must be cleared by the Council. This means that universities need to obtain a valid TVET Council provider licence and accreditation certificate for each programme.
The TVET Council is currently verifying all public and private technical and vocational education and training (TVET) providers. The council's Executive Director, Moses Kasakya, signed a letter stating that the exercise seeks to verify providers' names, contact details, physical locations, and other particulars before issuing licences, accreditation, and certification in accordance with the law.
To avoid falling into the tuition trap, parents and students are urged to verify a programme's legitimacy before enrolling for any business, technical, or medical certificate or diploma course. They should ask the university registrar to produce a valid TVET Council provider licence and the accreditation certificate for the specific programme. They should also establish which national examining body sets and marks the final examinations.
Key points
- Universities must obtain a valid TVET Council provider licence and accreditation certificate for each programme to ensure the legitimacy of their TVET programmes.
- Parents and students should verify the legitimacy of university TVET programmes before paying tuition to avoid financial and academic losses.
- The TVET Act, 2025, requires universities to comply with stricter regulations to ensure the quality of vocational education and training.
