Structure of St. Konrad Vocational College
The school’s principal is Father Dr. Pastor Mpora. He represents the school externally. His deputy is the vice principal and manages the school in everyday life. He is assisted by a Board of Governors (BOG) with 11 members as his supreme supervisory body. The Secondary School (SEC) is headed by the headmaster and the Vocational School (VOC) by the headmaster. There is also a Treasurer, a Dean of Studies, the Teachers’ Council, the Parents-Teachers’ Council and the Students’ Council. The school is run by the diocese in Kabale, Uganda.
Every year about 250 pupils, from about 30 teachers, are taken to secondary school and introduced to various crafts. In the following 2 – 3 years they can be trained as tailors, carpenters, bricklayers, carpenters, water plumbers or farmers. With this degree, the pupils can then attend university.
Two different types of students join the St. Konrad
Primary leaving children have completed 7 years primary School. They come to St. Konrad to begin a two fold training.
1. Secondary School training for 4 years.
2. At the same time 3 years technical training.
So at the end of Senior 3, they do junior technical exams offered by UBTEB, an examination Body for Technical and Business education in Uganda. Those who pass these examinations get junior technical Certificates in the material in which they trained. A learner takes only one Trade. The trades offered are: Building and Construction; Carpentry; Plumbing; Electricity Installation; Tailoring and Garment cutting; Agriculture; Welding and Metal Fabrication. Then the same students study the fourth Year and do Uganda Certificate Examinations, normally called Ordinary Level Exams. Those who pass these examinations receive UCE Certificate. So after 4 years normally spent in secondary School, a child has already acquired skills to work and junior qualification and has also the ordinary Level Certificate.
For poor families, this young person is already a worker who can earn them some bread.
St. Konrad endeavors to train those who have UCE Certificate in advanced skilling. It provides two years of technical Training in the courses already mentioned above; namely:
– Building and Construction
– Carpentry; Plumbing
– Electricity Installation
– Tailoring and Garment cutting
– Agriculture
– Welding and Metal Fabrication.
These two years training is equivalent of two years of Higher School Certificate. In HSC, children learn only theory and do an examination which allows them to be enlisted for the University studies. With no skill at hand, they have no work and those who cannot afford university studies, either because they did not score enough in exams or because their parents are poor and cannot afford the University fees, face a life of unemployment and misery for the rest of their lives.
The Two years offered by St. Konrad in giving technical Skills empowers the youth to become technicians in respective fields. After two years, they are now certified workers. Those who are unable to carry out university studies especially in engineering courses for construction, or other specialized technical courses, already can work and win a comfortable life and those who want to do further studies after St. Konrad can join other institutions of learning.
Some have trained already as instructors and Engineers in Building and Construction, Water Installation, Electricity installation, Architecture, and Tailoring and Textiles.