Directorate of Industrial Training decries inadequate funding

EDUCATION | DIT | FUNDING 

KAMPALA - The Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) has appealed to the government to increase its funding, saying the low funding hinders their operations.

“Insufficient financial capacity for the directorate is still one of the major obstacles to the execution of all the planned and budgeted activities yet competence-based assessment exercise is very expensive, it is 25 times more than the general education,” noted DIT Director, Patrick Byakatonda.

Byakatonda, the Ag Director, Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) (L) led MPs of the Committee of Education and Sports during their visit to the institute. (All photos by Shamim Saad)

He further stated that the directorate has so many activities assessments and certifications of all categories of people in Uganda but at the same time it has to develop industry standards, which accord assessment and training packages, this, he said can only be executed smoothly with an increased budget.

Byakatonda was speaking during a tour of Members of Parliament (MPs) under the Committee of Education and Sports at DIT, Lugogo, Kampala aimed at establishing the overview, mandates and what exactly the Ministry of Education is doing with its agencies on Friday, August 20, 2021.

He also pointed out the need to improve structures to increase productivity and performance of the directorate, coupled with the need for practical assessment of learner skills that have a high demand for staffing.

Byakatonda and Twesigye John Ntamuhiira, Chairman, Committee of Education and Sports interact during MPs' visit to the institute. (Credit: Shamim Saad)

“By the time of the development of the current structure, the directorate was only assessing 10,000 candidates but with the increased number of candidates, the structure does not allow upward progression,” he explained.

Twesigye John Ntamuhiira, Bunyaruguru County, Rubirizi district, Member of Parliament who also doubles as the Chairperson of Committee of Education and Sports applauded DIT for the great work they are doing and pledged full support.

“As a committee, we pledge full support to DIT, it has been in existence for a very long time and has not been given special attention, I emphasise this, it started around the 1940s under the ministry of labour but the work that it has been doing has not been very well regulated and it has not been supported to do a good job,” he alluded.

Twesigye further stressed that DIT is the only government directorate that has many assets in this country and is mandated to carry out trade tests like fish farmers, cooks, bakers, hairdressers which makes it different from other examinations boards.

“Of recent, there has been an issue of overlap but DIT is not conflicting. The committee is going to look at the legal regime, laws underline each institution what they do and what they are supposed to do and see a way forward, to me, DIT should play a role like law development center is doing,” he said.