Schools in Lango struggle to implement new curriculum

Oyam, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Inadequate funding and lack of learning materials are affecting the implementation of the new secondary school curriculum in Lango sub-region.

In 2020, the Ministry of Education and Sports rolled out the new lower secondary school curriculum that is competence-based. The new curriculum is aimed at equipping the learners with employable practical skills.

Sammy Bob Okino, the headteacher Lango College Secondary School says implementing the new curriculum is more demanding in terms of learning space in classrooms and requirements for practical work.

Okino says most schools also have the burden of training teachers especially those fresh from universities and colleges on how to conduct lessons using the new curriculum.

Dick Chagan, the head teacher of Aculbanya Secondary School in Kole district says that the school lacks the equipment to implement the curriculum.

Felix Obongo, the head teacher of Atapara Secondary School in Oyam district says most teachers are still struggling to access the learners using the new curriculum.

Samuel George Ogwang, a retired and former UNEB principal researcher says that the Ministry of Education and the National Curriculum Development Centre-NCDC should address the challenges hindering the implementation of the new curriculum.

The Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI), Foundation for Inclusive Community Health (FICH), a non-governmental organization operating in Oyam district has joined the district to implement this government initiative.

The organization is training senior two female learners from secondary schools within the district. Harriet Victoria Anyango, the program officer at FICH says the organization is using the social and emotional learning models to empower adolescents to be self-reliant.

Under the new curriculum, teachers compile the learners achievement under the formative basements in the four-year cycle and its average and later submit it to the National Examination Board to contribute 20 percent of the final examinations.

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