Schools put on notice over new curriculum
The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education, Ms Ketty Lamaro (centre) chats with stakeholders late workshop for vocational education in Kampala on September 7, 2022. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The permanent secretary, Ms Ketty Lamaro, in a November 9 circular, expressed displeasure that a number of schools have continued teaching old curriculum using a traditional knowledge-based approach.
The Ministry of Education and Sports has cautioned schools across the country that have defied the government in the implementation of the new Lower Secondary Curriculum rolled out in 2020.
The permanent secretary, Ms Ketty Lamaro, in a November 9 circular, expressed displeasure that a number of schools have continued teaching old curriculum using a traditional knowledge-based approach.
Ms Lamaro said some schools have continued to administer beginning of term, mid-term and end-of-term examinations to Senior One and Senior Two students, contrary to the guidance given by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).
“According to the guidance given to schools, they are supposed to assess learners based on their competences through activities of integration and projects,” Ms Lamaro said.
The ministry warned against schools conducting classes up to 5pm.
According to the curriculum, learners are supposed to end lessons at 2.55pm and undertake research, self-learning and projects to acquire problem-solving skills.
Such exercise is to be assessed by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) and contributes 20 percent to the final grade.
It is against this background that the Education ministry warned defiant schools to immediately switch to the new curriculum or face penalties.
“The ministry takes this omission by some of the school administrators as defiance against established policy and failing the government programmes,” Ms Lamaro wrote, adding: “In view of the above development, all secondary schools... are advised to immediately revert to the revised Lower Secondary Curriculum with immediate effect.”
As part of the consequences, students in schools that fail to comply with this directive will miss the 20 percent marks assessment that contributes to the final grading by Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb).
The new curriculum focuses on development of skills and competences of students in a departure from past mainly theoretical curriculum.
The pioneer students taught under the news curriculum are now in Senior Two, a delay blamed on Covid-19 disruptions.
More guidelines
The new curriculum allows students to study only 12 subjects in Seniors One and Senior Two, with 11 of these being compulsory and one elective.
The compulsory subjects are English Language, Mathematics, History, Geography, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Education, Religious Education, Enterprenuership Education and Kiswahili.
The optional subjects are vocational and these include Agriculture, ICT, Literature in English, Art and Design, Performing Arts, Technology and Design, Nutrition and Food Technology, and Foreign Languages (French, Latin, Arabic, Chinese).
