Kampala- 4th September 2026

Speaking during the September UVTAB Staff Prayer Breakfast today, the Executive Secretary, Onesmus Oyesigye (CPA), called on staff to familiarise themselves with the laws, rules and regulatory frameworks governing the Board’s work, emphasising that effective service delivery must be anchored in a clear understanding of the legal and regulatory environment.

Oyesigye highlighted the UVTAB Assessment Rules, 2026, which he noted have been duly signed and gazetted and are now available for reference and public use. He described the gazettement of the Rules as an important milestone in strengthening the governance, integrity and credibility of UVTAB’s assessment processes. He directed the Senior Legal Officer to circulate a soft copy of the Rules to all staff for reading, familiarisation and internalisation, while encouraging the Legal Team to organise a sensitisation and training session on the key provisions and practical application in the day-to-day execution of UVTAB’s functions.

The Executive Secretary further urged staff to ensure that their decisions and actions are guided by the Rules and remain within the established legal and regulatory framework.

He also announced a significant milestone in curriculum development (in accordance with the TVET Act, No. 3 of 2025, Section 95), revealing that 17 National Technician Diploma curricula submitted by UVTAB to the TVET Council have been approved by the Council. The approved curricula are now ready for implementation and advertisement for admission by the respective Technical Colleges and other relevant institutions for the Academic Year 2026/2027. He commended the officers involved in the curriculum development, quality assurance and approval processes, noting that the achievement reflects the commitment and hard work of the teams involved and encouraged the teams responsible to maintain momentum and conclude the remaining processes expeditiously.

The Executive Secretary also shared insights from his participation in the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA), held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 17th to 21st August 2026. “The conference brought together approximately 360 delegates from 28 countries, including policymakers, researchers and assessment practitioners from Africa and beyond, under the theme Rethinking Educational Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” he reflected.

Oyesigye noted that one of the key messages from the conference was the need for assessment systems to move beyond testing memorisation and increasingly assess competencies such as creativity, innovation, collaboration, ethical reasoning and the ability to apply knowledge to real-life challenges.

He observed that the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence presents both opportunities and challenges for assessment, adding that the lessons and experiences gained from the conference would be useful in strengthening UVTAB’s assessment practices as the Board responds to emerging technological realities.

On the sidelines of the AEAA conference, Oyesigye also participated in the Executive Committee meeting of the East African Association for Educational Assessment (EAAEA) in his capacity as Secretary General. The meeting, held on 20th August 2026, resolved, among other matters, to promote Kiswahili proficiency testing at the African Union level, with the aim of expanding employment opportunities and enhancing labour mobility within the East African region.

The Executive Committee also welcomed and pledged its support for Uganda’s bid to host the 45th Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) in 2029. Oyesigye noted that hosting such a major continental conference would require early preparation and called on staff, particularly those with strengths in research and academic writing, to begin preparing and submitting papers early.

He emphasised that the papers would undergo review and quality assurance processes and therefore needed to be thorough, well-researched and of high quality. “Let us begin preparing now so that, by 2029, we have a strong body of research and professional contributions to showcase to Africa and the world,” he said.

The Executive Secretary also commended staff who participated in the Annual Performance Review Workshop for FY 2025/26, convened by the Planning and Strategy Unit on 1st September 2026. He described the performance reviews as an important accountability and learning mechanism that enables management to assess progress against planned outputs and outcomes and identify areas for improvement.

He called on staff to implement the agreed action points from the workshop, with emphasis on completing outstanding “must-do” activities in order to achieve the Board’s planned targets and ultimately deliver on its mandate.

The September Prayer Breakfast was held under the 2026 theme drawn from Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. The Executive Secretary reminded staff that while excellence, discipline, commitment, and integrity remain essential in the execution of their responsibilities, the institution must also seek God’s wisdom, work together in unity, and depend on His guidance in fulfilling the mandate entrusted to UVTAB.