The New Curriculum

Biggest experiment

Senior One is usually filled with a sense of entering a new world after seven years in primary level, usually in one school. But it was not clear if these youngsters understood that they were now part of possibly the biggest experiment in Uganda’s education system since the early 1900s when secondary school started.

The new curriculum is designed to “prepare learners to join the world of work and higher education.”  A major innovation is that there will be no final term exams. Also at the end of O’ Level, students will be awarded a “work pass” in the Uganda Vocational Qualifications Framework (UVQF).

The vocational fields include agriculture, entrepreneurship, art and design, information communication, technology, nutrition and food technology, performing arts, physical education, and technology and design. Some of these are new; some comprise new groupings of old subjects. They will be assessed to a standard set by the Directorate of Industrial Training.

The skills they will hopefully acquire were based on a labour market survey that NCDC did in 2012. Apparently employers said they need people who are critical thinkers and problem solvers, creative and innovative. They must be cooperative and able to communicate and be self-directed. Proficiency in math and ICT are a must.

Norah Virekero’s reaction summed up the innocence of the Senior One students at Bethany when The Independent asked her if she knew about the new curriculum.

“Yes, our teacher has told us about it,” she said gaily.

And what did the teacher say?

“That we would be doing more practical than theory,” she says.

What does that mean?

“That we will be doing less writing and more activities,” she said. It was a near perfect pitch for the new curriculum and Virekero shows zero anxiety. For her it was another phase of learning.

“It’s good,” she said, “everybody is excited.”

From teaching to facilitation

Her teacher, Byaruhanga was equally optimistic.

“The curriculum is very practical,” he said, “We are running away from teaching to facilitation.”

He explains that under the new curriculum, learners first discover by themselves and give views about what they have discovered and the teacher wraps up topic. But he wished teachers had been given more time to prepare.

“Schools are not ready with all the materials they need,” he says, “We have only the syllabus but not the teacher’s guide, student guides and textbooks.”

Byaruhanga explained that the government had facilitated five teachers from each school to be trained across the country, from both private and government schools. These teachers are expected to train others at their schools, especially those teaching Senior One.

Byaruhanga was planning to do that next week, after orienting the Senior One. He said the training would be continuous, rolled out as the term rolled on.

Under the new curriculum, O’level has 21 subjects and each subject has its own textbook and teacher’s manual. The National Curriculum Development Centre is proud of this development because, under the old curriculum, one textbook covered the whole course. The books had titles like ‘Understanding Chemistry’ for O’ Level and ‘Introduction to Biology.’ The teachers would then select areas of the book to teach at each level.

But information available to The Independent shows that despite assurances from the Curriculum Development Centre, the text books and teacher’s manuals would not be delivered on time. One insider at a publishing house said the books could take as long as three months to be ready, meaning they would arrive in schools next term.

Regarding the controversy the curriculum has generated; especially in parliament, the teachers and experts blame politicking.

“They want to be seen to be doing something,” one of them said.

But they also speak of resistance from owners of private schools and “teachers who fear the unknown.’

“Those saying it cannot work have not attended training, but those who have been trained know it can work,” says Byaruhanga.

There is also fear that private schools, which have been thriving of grades to claim to be the best, must find new selling points. Under the new system, it is unlikely that schools will compete in that way, unless they are possibly in the same region.

“We don’t want to know your grades, we want your products,” said Muganga.

Private school owners are also a contemplating new cost involved.

“It is cheap to hire a teacher who dictates notes to students but they now must get real teachers who can teach,” said Muganga.

Expensive curriculum

Alele also sees added costs; for schools, teachers, and students. He says unlike in the past, learning will now be project-based, with students spending a lot of time in the field, researching, and documenting. He says the new curriculum requires each student to have a smartphone, camera, and laptop to effectively cope.

“How many of our poor parents can afford those things,” Alele says, “It is an expensive curriculum.”

He adds that these concerns were raised during their training at Kibuli and the Curriculum experts advised them to improvise because phones and laptops are not the only ICTs. They could use radio, TV, and newspapers.

Alele says schools might have to be expanded because, under the new curriculum, a teacher cannot teach a class of 100 learners. They have to be grouped and the biggest class would have at most 50 learners.

“The new sitting arrangement is too much for the teacher, if the government doesn’t add money, many teachers will drop out.”

He said teachers will need re-tooling to cope with demands of new curriculum.

Byaruhanga also spoke of the challenges Alele pointed out. He said classrooms being built now need to be bigger and have fewer learners.

“The maximum should be 50 or 60 learners,” he said.

Byaruhanga says Bethany is a town school with large classrooms and other amenities. But he worries about how the emphasis on ICT Integration will affect rural village schools.

“They have no power, some use generators but they cannot afford fuel for a whole day,” he says.