{"id":45249,"date":"2025-06-06T16:10:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/racheali-lugu-automehaanik-kes-muudab-ugandas-kutsehariduse-nagu\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T11:05:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T08:05:02","slug":"changing-the-face-of-vocational-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/changing-the-face-of-vocational-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Racheal’s story: changing the face of vocational education in Uganda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through courage, skill, and persistence, Racheal Manake is changing the face of vocational education. <\/span>She is a one of a kind motor vehicle instructor at Lugogo Vocational Training Institute in Uganda \u2013 in a field full of men, she\u2019s one of the very few women and the only one in her department.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first joined the motor vehicle course, I didn\u2019t like it,\u201d Racheal recalls. \u201cBut when I saw what I could build with my hands, I fell in love with it.\u201d Despite being the only girl in a class of over 200 men, she pushed forward. \u201cI didn\u2019t see any other women, but I knew I wanted to be skilled.\u201d Her determination helped her stand tall in a field where women are rarely seen\u2014or expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Breaking down stereotypes<\/strong><\/p>\n

During her diploma studies, she was again one of just two women in a class of 100. The isolation could have broken her, but it didn’t. \u201cI knew this was what I wanted,\u201d she says. In 2017, she became an assistant instructor. Today, she teaches full time. \u201cEvery time I walk into class, I remind myself\u2014if I stop, what example do I set for the girls coming after me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Racheal knows the expectations are different for women. \u201cMost male leaders look to undermine. They think females can\u2019t lead,\u201d she says. But she doesn\u2019t back down. \u201cEven the students\u2014when they see you\u2019re a woman, they test you. But when you prove yourself, they respect you.\u201d She\u2019s not just teaching car engines\u2014she\u2019s dismantling stereotypes, bolt by bolt.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a new opportunity, Racheal wishes to improve her use of digital tools in teaching. That\u2019s why she joined Mondo\u2019s training. Mondo, together with partners from Estonia \u2013 Tallinn University, and with the support of the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) \u2013 and from Uganda, is developing solutions to enhance the quality of vocational education in Uganda, particularly in the field of digital competence. Racheal is one of those who will benefit from this by improving her own digital skills and, in the future, teaching her colleagues as well.<\/p>\n

Her journey into digital learning began with surprise. \u201cI didn\u2019t know my phone could be a school,\u201d she says. \u201cBut now I can host Zoom lessons, record classes, earn money\u2014even translate with it.\u201d The mobile phone became her classroom, her studio, her connection to the world. \u201cIt changed how I see teaching. I can reach students even if they\u2019re far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Going digital is not an option<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, digital access is unequal. \u201cWi\u2011Fi is limited to administration,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you\u2019re not an administrator, you have no access. Even electricity is sometimes a problem.\u201d She dreams of a time when tools like projectors, stable internet, and laptops are standard. \u201cWe adapt, but we could do so much more with support.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She believes change starts from the top. \u201cIf the Ministry said digital is mandatory, everyone would adjust,\u201d Racheal insists. \u201cRight now, people think it\u2019s optional, so they don\u2019t invest time in it.\u201d Her hope is for more structure, more investment, and policies that treat vocational education as vital\u2014not secondary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being the only woman in the workshop comes with pressure\u2014but also pride. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s hard. But then a girl comes to me and says, \u2018I didn\u2019t know a woman could do this,\u2019 and I feel strong again.\u201d Her goal is not just to fix engines but to open doors. \u201cGirls need to see someone like them doing this work. That\u2019s how the cycle breaks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Racheal Manake is not just an instructor\u2014she is a pioneer. \u201cI want the girls who come after me to find things better than I found them,\u201d she says. In dusty workshops and digital spaces, she\u2019s proving what one woman can do\u2014and why it matters.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through courage, skill, and persistence, Racheal Manake is changing the face of vocational education. She is a one of a kind motor vehicle instructor at Lugogo Vocational Training Institute in Uganda \u2013 in a field full of men, she\u2019s one of the very few women and the only one in her department.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":45244,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,929863,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-development-cooperation","category-uganda-en","category-uudised-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45249"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45294,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45249\/revisions\/45294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mondo.org.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}