The Minister of Education and Sports and First Lady, Hon Janet Kataaha Museveni has reiterated the government’s commitment to promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a critical driver for employment and national development.
Speaking at the International Day of Education celebrations held at Kololo Independence Grounds on Tuesday, the Minister said TVET holds the potential to equip the country’s predominantly youthful population with practical skills that meet the evolving demands of the labour market.
Highlighting its role in enhancing economic viability, fostering innovation, and promoting inclusivity, the Minister described TVET as a pathway to social-economic transformation.
“Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) offers numerous benefits, including enhancing viability, increased economic growth, and is a pathway to social development,” she said.
TVET programs equip individuals with critical skills and knowledge, make them more attractive to employers and drive economic development.
Furthermore, TVET fosters a culture of continuous learning by enabling individuals to adapt to the changing job market demands in line with sustainable development.
TVET training has the potential to foster inclusivity and break down barriers to employment for workers with disabilities.
According to the 2024 Uganda population census results, the highest percentage of the country’s population are youth. Although this sounds like an opportunity, it poses a challenge for youth and employment.
Given the demands of employment, it is inevitable that the government and other stakeholders focus on steering young people to meet the demands of the world at work.
Government believes that TVET is a strategic pillar for skilling, employment and national development.
In 2012, Uganda launched the Skilling Uganda Strategic Plan which ran from 2012 to 2022. It was, and still is a visionary framework that repositioned TVET as a driver for economic development.
The International Day of Education was held under the theme: AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation.
The education minister said that the 2025 International Education Day and its theme requires all stakeholders to explore and discuss the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence and its use within the field of education and recognizing that this technology is already shaping the future landscape of the global workforce.
“We must critically reflect on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human capital development……It is time, however, to ask questions; is technology taking over and replacing human capital? Is human capital development still necessary given what AI can do and is already doing? Is it possible that AI and human capital can coexist positively, given that each has its strength and its weaknesses? In our attempt to answer or respond to the above questions, the Ministry of Education and Sports has developed the digital agenda for the education and sports sector in line with the government commitment towards enhancing the use of technology to achieve Vision 2040,” she said.
“As a nation, we have localized the theme of this year’s celebrations to focus on promoting an employer-led system which is functional, effective and efficient to meet the needs of the labour market,” she added.
The First Lady further said that through the Presidential Skilling Initiative, a huge number of out of school youth have been provided with relevant skills to enable them to be self-employed.
What is more gratifying, the Minister said, is that a number of them have come up with innovations, adding that all they require is more support to take them to the next level.
