Government abolishes end of term exams in schools
In an earlier interview, Mr Filbert Baguma, the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) general secretary, asked government to postpone the rollout, saying they were not prepared. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Reason. Mr James Asile Droti, the National Curriculum Development Centre specialist, says the old setting was time wasting.
- For instance, children who appear in identifier one, will mean they have acquired basic information and need support while those in groups two and three achieved to a greater extent.
The government has scrapped termly examinations in the revised lower secondary curriculum to be rolled out when first term opens on Monday.
The Ministry of Education, through the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), has instead introduced projects which students will be doing at the end of every topic with teachers required to record their achievements daily and support them where they have failed until some level of proficiency is attained before another topic is introduced.
Mr James Aisle Droti, the NCDC specialist, yesterday said teachers can, however, administer end of year examinations for purposes of giving feedback to parents on how their children performed.
But the feedback will be in form of what Mr Droti termed as “identifiers” that have been grouped between one to three.
For instance, children who appear in identifier one, will mean they have acquired basic information and need support while those in groups two and three achieved to a greater extent.
“Those beginning of term, midterm and end of term tests are not necessary because a teacher will be doing classroom-based assessment. We expect a teacher to observe students during an activity and engage them in a conversation through questioning. We expect learners to come up with an exercise, project or assignment and a teacher will evaluate how a child has progressed,” Mr Droti said.
Changes
The name for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) has also been changed to Uganda Certificate for Lower Secondary Education.
School instructional time is from 8am to 2.55pm but the school day will run up to 4.30pm each working day. Each lesson is 40 minutes which will add up to 40 periods per week.
Mr Alex Kakooza, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said they are training teachers who will begin with the pioneer Senior One students when they report on February 17.
In an earlier interview, Mr Filbert Baguma, the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) general secretary, asked government to postpone the rollout, saying they were not prepared.
“The only advice would be to stay the implementation until they are ready. They have come to us saying they don’t have money. To date, I have not seen any textbook designed for the new curriculum. It is late for this year. Postpone the implementation until you have the funds,” Mr Baguma said.
Government this week extended the reporting date for students in some schools where teacher training is being conducted from February 3 to February 10 to allow them conclude the training on the new curriculum.
Ms Loi Kulaba, a retired seed school head teacher, has advised government to be realistic before rolling out the curriculum. She cited lack of facilities and human resource (teachers) in many schools and said if it is not addressed, the new curriculum will not deliver the desired results.
But Mr Droti defended the rollout saying the new curriculum will use the environment as the laboratory for the students.
New curriculum
Other components. In the new curriculum, subjects have been reduced from 43 to 21. Schools will be expected to offer 11 compulsory subjects at Senior One and Two in addition to one elective. At Senior three and Four, students will take seven compulsory subjects plus two electives.
