Africa-Press – Uganda. The Ministry of Education and Sports has phased out 23 non-core primary teachers’ colleges (PTCs) to ensure the effective utilisation of available resources.
The Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor, Prof Eli Katunguka, who also doubles as the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) chairperson, yesterday said the Ministry of Education made a resolution regarding the 46 PTCs across the country.
He was addressing journalists in Kampala on the transition of teacher training institutions to Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE), among others.
“It [ministry]… decided to maintain 23 core PTCs and re-purpose/phase out 23 non-core PTCs into the main campus of the proposed UNITE, effective July this year,” Prof Katunguka said.
He added: “The teacher policy is good and the establishment of UNITE is good, but it has not been properly understood. The purpose of UNITE is to create a body that will ensure the quality of teachers who come out of the PTCs.”
According to Prof Katunguka, Kyambogo University, which took over from the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) in 2003, no longer has the capability to ensure quality training in the colleges.
“Kyambogo University established in 2003, took over this mandate because originally, PTCs and NTCs [National Teachers’ Colleges] were under ITEK…When Kyambogo University was established, I think the University took over the liabilities and assets and then took over these NTCs and PTCs,” he said.
Adding: “The University has grown massively since then and now we have a student population of 33,000. We have many programs to run. The university cannot ensure the quality of the teachers who come out of these colleges.”
This comes after The National Teacher Policy (2019) recommended the establishment of UNITE.Accordingly, to enact this recommendation, the Ministry of Education appointed a taskforce to spearhead the establishment of UNITE as a Public Other Degree Awarding Institution (ODAI).
Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of Uganda National Teachers’ Union, said the move is in line with the Teacher Policy, which has phased out the training of Grade III teachers.
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