Background

The Government of Uganda received a grant from the Kingdom of Belgium to finance the Ugandan-Belgian project "Improving the training for BTVET technical teachers/instructors, health tutors and secondary teachers" (Teacher Training Education - TTE project). The project is jointly executed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports (MoSTES) and the Belgian Development Agency (BTC) between December 2011 and December 2016. The objective of the project is to provide an improved student centred teaching, and practice-oriented learning environment, supported by a strengthened support supervision and visitation (inspection) service from the central level. To reach this objective, the project addresses four result areas:

1. Strengthening the teacher education system in relation to the colleges in the areas of communication, support supervision and visitation, strategic management and lecturers' qualifications (Result 1);
2. Strengthening the management capacity of the supported colleges (Result 2);
3. Improving the quality of teaching and learning in the supported colleges (Result 3);
4. Rehabilitating, extending and equipping the college facilities (Result 4).

These results will be achieved through capacity building at system (central) level, organisational (college) level and individual level (managers and teachers). The project focuses both at central level institutions (MoSTES, Universities and other relevant national bodies) and in the following four colleges:

1. National Teachers College Kaliro: secondary teachers' education
2. National Teachers College Muni: secondary teachers' education
3. Abilonino Community Polytechnic Instructors College: technical instructors' education
4. Mulago Health Tutors College: health tutors' education

Map indicating the colleges and overview of the colleges:

National Teachers' College, Kaliro
The college is located near Kaliro town, about 40 km to the north of Iganga town and 153 km to the east of Kampala. It offers both DES (Diploma in Education Secondary – full time) and DEP (Diploma in Education Primary – part-time) teachers' training programmes. The college has four academic departments (arts, science, vocational training, and professional studies), teaching a total of 16 subjects.

Abilonino Community Polytechnics Instructors' Training College
Abilonino Community Polytechnics Instructors' College is the only provider of pre-service training for technical teachers and instructors for the BTVET system. The college is situated near Lira in Northern Uganda, approximately 200 km from Kampala. The College offers a two-year Diploma in Technical Teacher Education (DTTE) that turns out approximately 100 graduates every year. The entry requirement is Advanced Craft Certificate (Craft 2) and students can select from 11 different specializations according to their craft.

Health Tutor's College, Mulago
Mulago HTC trains tutors in midwifery, nursing and allied health. Located within the Mulago national referral hospital at Mulago Hill in Kampala, it is the only college of its kind in the country. Mulago HTC offers a 3-year Bachelor of Medical Education as well as the recently approved 1-year Post-Graduate Diploma in Medical Education and 1-year Higher Diploma in Clinical Instruction.

Muni National teachers' College

Muni National Teachers' College is located in Arua district, around 7km from Arua town. The college started as a Primary Teachers' College in 1947. In 1985 National Teachers' college Muni took over the premises and the enrollment increased to over 800 students for the DES (Diploma in Education Secondary) and DEP (Diploma in Education Primary) programs combined.