LIRA– The government has upgraded Uganda Technical College Lira into a Centre of Excellence in offering road and bridge construction training.
According to State Minister for Sports, Denis Obua, the government has given the institution Shs 14 billion to purchase heavy equipment for road construction as well as to improve the infrastructure at the Campus.
The World Bank is helping fund the project through the construction of classroom blocks, two hostels for both boys and girls, administration block, a soil testing laboratory, staff house, and heavy machine shed.
Heavy equipment such as an excavator, grader, wheel loader, digital surveying equipment, a bus, staff van, and pick-up truck among others have been provided and assembled and are ready for use.
The improvement of the college’s facilities is under Uganda Skills Development Project and according to the Deputy Principal, Elvis Bongo, the college now has the capacity to accommodate 800 students for non-formal curriculum.
The project has two components – curriculum and non-curriculum. Under curriculum, there is the construction of a soil testing laboratory, classroom blocks and administration block.
“The laboratory has been equipped with soil testing equipment and concrete-related materials have also been installed,” Bongo said.
He was briefing Minister Obua during his political and supervision monitoring visit to the institution. Obua was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ketty Lamero.
He said on the non-curriculum, there are modern hostels for boys and girls and each has the capacity to accommodate 320 students.
“Part of the non-curriculum, there are also staff blocks which have the capacity to accommodate 8 lecturers,” Bongo added.
The provision of the heavy road equipment will not only be used for skilling students but will help in generating revenue for maintenance.
“The heavy equipment are not only for skilling students. Local governments that want to work on their roads can hire from the college if they have challenges with their own equipment,” he added.
Minister Obua urged the youth in the country to take advantage of the centre to enroll and become self-reliant.
He said other technical colleges in the country such as Elgon, Bushenyi, Kyema and Kicwamba among others were turned into centres of excellence in different skills.
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