Change is in the air for Uganda’s education system, come to think of it, change has been brewing for the past four years now. Just recently UNEB released the new Grading system for the UCE curriculum, (which is a new curriculum of its own) so it’s only natural that those students follow up a new A-level curriculum. Thus, come March 3, 2025, Senior Five students will experience a revamped A-Level curriculum designed to enhance critical thinking, practical skills, and real-world application. Of course, we heard this before when the UCE curriculum was introduced, so, what does this mean this time?
For years, Uganda’s A-level curriculum has been heavily theoretical, much like the old O-level side, often prioritizing rote memorization over practical skills. I for one, still remember the sheer amount of reading and memorizing it took to pass high school…The new competency-based approach, however, is set to focus on equipping students with the ability to analyse, problem-solve, and apply knowledge to everyday situations.
Under this system, subjects will focus on cross-cutting themes like environmental awareness, health education, life skills, and citizenship; in that students won’t just be cramming formulas and historical dates from battles long lost—they’ll be engaging with the knowledge that’s more usable today.
One of the most significant changes is the streamlining of content, where outdated and redundant material has been cut, ensuring that what students learn continues with the recently reformed lower secondary curriculum. While this sounds like a breath of fresh air, (for the student at least,) the real challenge and worry is in execution—will schools and teachers adapt in time? We all remember how schools struggled to adapt to the New Lower Secondary School Curriculum (NLSC) when it first rolled out.
Another concern right now is the lack of a continuous assessment component. Unlike many modern education systems that try to mix coursework and final exams, Uganda’s A-Level assessment will still rely solely on end-of-cycle examinations conducted by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), much like the old A-level cycle. This, to me at least makes me wonder if the students will truly master the set competencies, or revert to last-minute cramming.
Besides, while the government, through the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), has made updated syllabi available via school portals, reports indicate that many institutions have yet to access them, again, much like when the O-Level curriculum rolled out. Teachers also require proper training to transition smoothly into this new system. Without adequate preparation, the new curriculum might struggle to deliver on its promises.
Additionally, the change demands new teaching materials, lesson plans, and classroom strategies. Schools that lack resources or internet access may lag behind, creating disparities in how students experience the curriculum change.
But then again, the O-level curriculum faced much the same challenges when it came out, slow resource allocation, limited study material and teacher sensitization, but hey, it didn’t turn out so bad. Perhaps there’s hope for the A-level cohort as well.
For the students, the new curriculum presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, they get to engage with more relevant and practical knowledge. But on the other hand, the pressure of a single final exam remains a significant stress factor for them when you consider the fact that in their O-Level, they were led to believe that their final mark had contributions from daily class assessments.
The introduction of Uganda’s revised A-Level curriculum, “The Aligned Curriculum,” as it’s being called, might just be a great way for Uganda’s education system to prepare its learners for a more skills-based economy. But for it to work, schools need access to proper materials, teachers must receive sufficient training, and students should be guided beyond just preparing for exams, which, according to many of the teachers, wasn’t done properly.
Many argue that the ministry has rushed the decision, having neglected to prepare prior and only bringing this out when the students are so soon to report for the A-level studies, considering the fact that the ministry has had about four years free time to prepare for the transition. Others are worried, since up to now they haven’t received the study material.
Will this be the education reform Uganda has been waiting for? Or will it become another policy change that fails to make a real impact? Only time will tell.
