Makerere University under the College Of Humanities and Social Sciences on Thursday released a groundbreaking research report calling upon the government to bolster Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) programs to ensure they are inclusive, equitable, and aligned with the diverse needs of Uganda’s youth. The study, carried out in five districts including Moroto, Kamuli, Tororo, Masaka and Kasese seeks to offer an examination of gender dynamics to understand what influences the interest of boys and girls, in joining Business, Technical, Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) courses. It highlighted patterns in BTVET enrollment, in Uganda.
According to the report, despite the presence of BTVET institutions across these regions, the enrollment rates are alarmingly low. Furthermore, among the few students who do enrol, a significant majority suffer from low self-esteem, often feeling stigmatized as failures in society simply because they chose to pursue BTVET education. While presenting the findings, Dr Evelyn Lutwama Rukundo one of the Co-researchers, revealed that some of the youth are simply not interested in technical jobs but want white-collar jobs; and institutional factors such as poor infrastructure and limited practical materials do not attract students to BTVET institutions nor do they encourage parents to send their children to these institutions.
The research went and showed that 55.7 of the females interviewed were not in BTVET and 53.5.
