NTC Kabale starts transition into University despite lack of enough staff

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | National Teachers College (NTC) Kabale on Friday held its last graduation of 2,306 learners as the institution starts the first step to transition into a University.

The institution had not held a graduation ceremony between the 2018-2023 academic years, due to the impact of Covid-19 on the education sector.

Established in 1984, the institution has been offering diplomas in secondary teachers training, in-service training for primary school and nursery teachers training and Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers’ training.

Annet Komunda, College Principal says that NTC Kabale will be renamed Kabale Unity Campus. Komunda says that the Institution received instruments from the government to start the transition in Mid the year.

Komunda says that despite them being ready to transition, the institution is still grappling with a lack of enough staff and dilapidated structures.

Muzzamil Mukwatampola, Commissioner in Charge of Admissions, Scholarships and Students’ Affairs in the Ministry of Education and Sports who represented Janet Kataha Museveni, Minister for Education and Sports defended the transition saying that it is aimed at improving the quality of the teaching profession in the country.

Mukwatampola says that the challenges at the institution will be gradually addressed during and after the transition process.

In October 2019, the government started the process of phasing out Grade III and Grade V teaching qualifications in favour of a Bachelor’s degree in Education.

The move is by National Teachers’ Policy with technical support from the UNESCO, International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) under the Capacity Development for Education Programme.

All primary and secondary school teachers have up to 2031 to have acquired a bachelor’s degree in education.

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