Senior Two students of Allied Teachers SS-Nyenga in Buikwe District take part in an agriculture practical lesson under the new curriculum at the school farm on November 24, 2023. The school direcotr, Mr John Paul Eliot Ochieng, says the new curriculum is very expensive to implement. PHOTO/FILE
School administrators have expressed fear that schools may not properly implement the new abridged A-Level curriculum due to a lack of instructional materials and trained teachers to handle subjects. Three days before Senior Five entrants started their first term on March 3, the government released the abridged A-Level curriculum, detailing the subjects of study and teaching.
The revised curriculum lists the syllabus for each subject with topics of study across all 29 subjects offered at this level. The move followed pressure from school administrators who raised concerns over delays in receiving the condensed curriculum ahead of the students’ reporting date. It was at that time that the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) uploaded the updated contents to school portals, after receiving clearance from the Ministry of Education.
By March 3, all 29 subjects had reportedly been uploaded to the school portals. The Ministry of Education spokesperson, Dr Denis Mugimba, says teachers had to teach the topics listed in each subject using old textbooks, as there will be no printing of new textbooks or developing new content, as was the case with the Lower Secondary Curriculum rolled out in 2020. But in a snap survey Daily Monitor conducted in various schools across the country early last week, several school administrators admitted that they are still ill-prepared to align the A-Level learning with the Lower Secondary Curriculum and make it competence-based. Mr Moses Semwanga, the head teacher of Kiira College, Butiki in Jinja, expresses concern about the new abridged curriculum materials available online, stating: “We also don’t trust the online materials because we’re not sure which online version is the correct one.” “Also, the head teachers should receive training on the new abridged curriculum because they are the implementers of the programme, and they can’t supervise what they don’t know,” he adds.
In West Nile, some school administrators say despite the readiness of different schools to implement the abridged curriculum, the delayed retooling of teachers and lack of clarity on the specific learning materials to use are a big hindrance to its implementation.
“We received the Senior Five students, and they have been here for one month and some days, but because of the absence of the necessary tools, teachers are finding it hard to conduct lessons. They are demanding us to guide them,but we don’t know how to guide them,” the deputy head teacher of Kuru Secondary School in Yumbe District, Mr Jackson Andabati, says, adding: “If the ministry is not delivering instructional materials, they should give us guidelines. If we are to use the old textbooks, let it be clear.”
A parent in Arua City, Ms Francisca Akello, says: “The confusion exhibited while rolling out the O-Level curriculum affected the performance of our students, and now the same confusion is being brought to A-Level.
These changes should be properly planned instead of imposing things that do not work. The new curriculum will leave everyone confused and affect academic performance.” When the lower secondary curriculum was being rolled out in March 2020, schools faced similar hurdles as the government delayed distributing instructional materials, and thousands of teachers had not been retooled to handle the curriculum. This prompted lawmakers to ask the government to postpone the rollout of the curriculum, but this was ignored. Under the abridged A-Level curriculum, the method of instruction is changing from a knowledge – and objective-based approach to an integrated and learner-centred competency-based approach. Some content across all the 29 subjects has been rationalised, integrated, and merged with overlaps and similar skills, dropping topics that had been studied at lower secondary or are no longer critical and relevant for the current learning needs.
Those who were of low competency have been upgraded to match the advanced level. Mr Abraham Akampurira, the head teacher of Kigezi High School in Kabale District, says they are implementing the abridged A-Level curriculum with difficulties since they do not have enough instructional materials, and teachers have not been well inducted. “We will also need support to have our science laboratories and libraries improved for the effective implementation of the new A-Level curriculum,” Mr Akampurira says.
Ms Deborah Basekanakyo (right), the head teacher Wanyange Girls SS, Jinja shows parents what her students have managed to do under the new Lower Secondary Cirriculum during an exhibition at the school last year. PHOTO/ABUBAKER KIRUNDA.
The head teacher at Bubare Secondary School in Rubanda District, Mr Amos Ahimbisibwe, says they are actively engaging NCDC and the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) for orientation since teachers at his school were still struggling to fully implement the abridged curriculum.
Mr Gordon Mwesigwa, the deputy head teacher in charge of academics at Kabale Trinity College in Kabale Town, says the authorities at NCDC and Uneb should help in specifying how many papers each subject should have and how they should be taught under the new curriculum.
The head teacher of Fort Portal Secondary School, Mr Regan Katerenga, says since the beginning of the term, they have only received guidance from the NCDC indicating that S5 students will study a new curriculum, but to date, they have never received any instructional materials for students to use.
“Our teachers and students are completely in the dark; there are no reading materials for us to teach from, and we don’t know if it’s exactly what the Ministry of Education desires because the NCDC has failed to organise workshops for teachers to understand what to teach precisely,” he explains. As a school, Mr Katerenga says they are benchmarking against other schools in Kampala to see what they are currently teaching.
“The term is nearing its end without a single workshop organised by the NCDC. What do they expect schools to teach? Some teachers are just guessing at what to cover, and in the end, the students are punished unjustly,” he said.
The head teacher of Fort Portal Secondary School, Mr Regan Katerenga, says since the beginning of the term, they have only received guidance from the NCDC indicating that S5 students will study a new curriculum, but to date, they have never received any instructional materials for students to use.
“Our teachers and students are completely in the dark; there are no reading materials for us to teach from, and we don’t know if it’s exactly what the Ministry of Education desires because the NCDC has failed to organise workshops for teachers to understand what to teach precisely,” he explains.
As a school, Mr Katerenga says they are benchmarking against other schools in Kampala to see what they are currently teaching. “The term is nearing its end without a single workshop organised by the NCDC. What do they expect schools to teach? Some teachers are just guessing at what to cover, and in the end, the students are punished unjustly,” he said.
The head teacher of Fort Portal Secondary School, Mr Regan Katerenga, says since the beginning of the term, they have only received guidance from the NCDC indicating that S5 students will study a new curriculum, but to date, they have never received any instructional materials for students to use.
“Our teachers and students are completely in the dark; there are no reading materials for us to teach from, and we don’t know if it’s exactly what the Ministry of Education desires because the NCDC has failed to organise workshops for teachers to understand what to teach precisely,” he explains. As a school, Mr Katerenga says they are benchmarking against other schools in Kampala to see what they are currently teaching. “The term is nearing its end without a single workshop organised by the NCDC. What do they expect schools to teach? Some teachers are just guessing at what to cover, and in the end, the students are punished unjustly,” he said.
Mr Asuman Kiwanuka, the director of studies at Alliance High School Nansana, Wakiso District, says they are still following the old Curriculum because the line ministry is yet to guide the way forward. “This new curriculum is good, but teachers themselves are not yet equipped with enough skills to teach and pass on the knowledge to the learners,” he says.
In the latest supplementary budget passed by Parliament in March, amounting to Shs4.255 trillion, some Shs7.132 billion was allocated to NCDC for “immediate and interim interventions” for the implementation of A-Level curriculum. The Ministry of Education spokesperson, Dr Denis Mugimba, insists that teachers are aware of what to do. “Indeed, we haven’t officially launched that curriculum, but the teachers are aware of what to do because they were guided, and more training sessions will be conducted,” he said.
Teachers from different secondary schools during Senior Five selection exercise at UMA multi-purpose hall in Lugogo, Kampala, on February 20. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
Ms Grace Ndagire, the head teacher Kinoni Girls Secondary School, Rwampara District, says although the new curriculum is good for students since it encourages creativity and critical thinking, teachers at her school have not been retooled to align with the new government policy shift.
“The major challenge we are facing with this abridged A-Level curriculum is that we do not know how it is assessed yet. The papers were reduced and the content condensed. For example, we used to have Chemistry papers 1, 2, and 3, but that is no longer the case, and we are confused about how we are going to assess our learners,” she explains.
Mr Asadu Kirabira, the chairperson of the National Education Institutions Association (NAPEA), says what is currently happening was foreseen by teachers, but the government dismissed their fears.
“What was promised is not what we see. This poses a big question on the quality of the products that this inconsistent system shall produce,” he says. He adds that the government’s approach of uploading content on the school portals has not worked because many schools lack guidance on the revised curriculum.
“We are trying to engage the ministry and NCDC to ensure that these gaps are swiftly addressed,” he says. Mr Moses Ayebare, the head teacher of New Bukiro High School, Mbarara District, says the teachers at his school are implementing the new curriculum.
“This curriculum has not been streamlined. There are no textbooks, even when you go to the book shops, they are not there, even those that were put online, you cannot find the content,” he says. Mr Musa Mukasa, the head teacher of St Peter’s High School in Masindi District, says: “Curriculum reforms require structured teacher training and well-developed instructional materials. Without these, we risk a disjointed learning experience for students.”
Mr Patrick Kibuka, the head teacher of Namasere High School, Bugiri District, says his school has taken the initiative to buy some textbooks from bookshops while waiting for the Ministry to deliver. “We addressed these matters to the line Ministry immediately after Senior Five students reported, but we haven’t received any response,” Mr Kibuka says.
However, Mr Kalimu Kisalwe, the head teacher of Naminyagwe Muslim SS, Bugiri District, says teachers at the school are currently using the Lower Secondary School Curriculum, which is related to the abridged A-level curriculum.
“We are doing that, we wait for changes and further communication from the line Ministry,” he says. The deputy head teacher in charge of academics at Soroti SS, Mr Richard Icumar, says S5 students are catching up with the new curriculum, and the teachers are familiar with what they are teaching. “We have all it takes to teach our learners, the new curriculum has only removed some topics in subjects, reducing the content for the students,’’ he says.
The process of overhauling the A-Level curriculum is still ongoing, and according to Dr Mugimba, it will be ready for implementation by 2028, but the government chose to come up with a revised version to enable learners trained under the Lower Secondary Curriculum to continue getting competence-based knowledge in Senior Five. Aspects of the suspended A-Level curriculum.
The proposed new A-Level curriculum is intended to enable students to complete A-Level education over two or five years. This flexibility is aimed at supporting students who might need additional time, accommodating diverse learning paces, and reducing dropout rates. Proposed curriculum changes include replacing the General Paper with practical “contemporary studies” to cover essential skills, such as generic skills, ICT, research techniques, financial literacy, climate awareness, and functional statistics, reflecting the need for adaptable skills in today’s workforce.
Subject combinations in the proposed curriculum would be more targeted, requiring students to select two essential subjects, one vocational subject, and one from contemporary studies, thus giving them a robust foundation in their chosen fields. For instance, a student pursuing economics would study Economics and Mathematics as essential subjects, and choose a vocational subject like ICT or Nutrition, and include a contemporary studies component. Another significant reform is the introduction of a modular assessment approach, allowing students to retake only the subjects they failed in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams instead of retaking the entire exams.
Cross-cutting issues
The syllabus has also introduced cross-cutting issues that must be taught to all learners in all the subjects offered. These include environmental awareness, health awareness, life skills, mixed abilities and involvement, socio-economic challenges, and citizenship and patriotism.
Compiled by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Rajab Mukombozi, Felix Ainebyoona, Asuman Musobya, Noeline Nabukenya, Damali Mukhaye, Felix Warom Okello, Robert Muhereza, Emmanuel Arineitwe, Robert Elema, Felix Warom Okello, Alex Ashaba, Suzan Nanjala, Ismail Bategeka & Tausi Nakato
