Nwoya schools struggling to implement revised secondary curriculum

Nwoya, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Schools in Nwoya District are struggling to implement the revised lower secondary curriculum due to lack of teachers for some subjects; inadequate and late delivery of learning materials

The implementation of the new curriculum that was developed by Ministry of Education and Sports through the National Curriculum Development Center – NCDC started on February 17 this year amid controversies. 

But a number of schools have delayed to roll out the programme due to late delivery of learning materials. The problem of teachers for Kiswahili and Chinese languages as well as Physical Education remains eminent. 

Lucy Okot Akello, the Head-teacher of Pope Paul VI Secondary School, Anaka says they have enrolled 150 Senior One students who are currently faced by lack of teachers for the optional subjects like Kiswahili and Chinese languages as well as Physical Education. 

Hilder Rose Lakor, the Head teacher of Alero Secondary School with an enrollment of 73 students and her counterpart Lucy Acaa Oburutoo of Purongo Seed Secondary School have both relayed the same challenges in their respective schools. 

Patricia Aciro, an English Teacher in Anaka Intensive Secondary School in Anaka Town Council disclosed that implementation of the curriculum has been well embraced though the implementation dragged due to late delivery of the text books. 

Another teacher, Andrew Lagony, a teacher of Got Apwoyo Seed Secondary School says they haven’t rolled out the new curriculum to their learners because the school has not yet been coded by the Education Ministry. 

Whereas all government aided and privately owned schools are expected to roll out the new curriculum in equal measures, five private schools in the district have not yet been able to get the learning materials. 

But Christopher Opoka, the Chairperson of Senior Secondary Schools’ Association of Head-teachers in Acholi sub-region says they are engaging the Ministry through NCDC to supply text books to private schools free of charge. 

According to the revised curriculum all schools are obliged to offer 12 subjects at Senior One and Senior Two, out of which 11 are compulsory and only one is optional. Meanwhile Senior Three and Four will exist with a minimum of eight subjects and a maximum of nine compulsory subjects. 

Also, classroom teaching has been reduced to five hours a day and lessons will start at 8:30 am and ending at 2:50pm which allows learners to engage in more research, games and sports and have time for revision for at least two hours while school day ends at 4:30pm.

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URN