YES Perspectives: A Series on Youth Employment and Skills Policies

Implementing Uganda’s revised lower

secondary curriculum: the experiences
of teachers and learners in review

POLICY PAPER – UGANDA AUGUST 2024

A teacher facilitates a lesson at one of the secondary schools in Central Uganda.

Abstract
In 2020, Uganda rolled out a competency-based and learner-centered curriculum for
lower secondary education. To prepare teachers to implement the revised curriculum, the
government trained 35 percent of the in-service teachers, who were in turn expected to
train the remaining 65 percent of teachers through a cascade model arrangement. Effective
implementation of the revised lower secondary curriculum holds great promise for equipping
Uganda’s young generations with the essential skills and competencies required for the
evolving world of work. However, a mini-survey to examine teacher experiences in delivering
the new curriculum and student experiences in learning the new curriculum revealed
significant challenges, including the quality of student work, insufficient ICT equipment,
confusion over project work, weak parental support, and more—all of which undermine the
potential benefits of the curriculum.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Disclaimer: This policy brief was produced in the context of the Inclusive Economic Transformation
Research partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The Inclusive Economic Transformation
Research program, a five-year initiative running between August 2023 and August 2028, was
conceived to support youth education and poverty relief through financial inclusion. The views
expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Foundation, its staff, or its Board of Directors.

Background
In 2020, the Ministry of Education introduced a revised lower secondary curriculum, a significant
shift from the previous, theory-oriented curriculum to one that places a high value on skills and
competencies. According to the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), the revised
curriculum is competency-based and fosters self-reliance by encouraging students to explore their
creativity and ability to innovate. This new approach to learning equips students with lifelong skills,
paving the way for improved teaching and evaluation methods, all designed to help students realize
their full potential and feel excited about their learning journey.

The revised curriculum underscores the importance of research and project work at the end of each
topic, ensuring the application of knowledge and skills rather than mere acquisition (Atwine et al.,
2023). This research component allows students to expand their knowledge base, improve their notes,
and engage in discussions with their peers. Project work is designed to involve every learner, and they
are evaluated through activities of integration (AOIs), contributing to their scores at the end of the
O-level cycle. AOIs refers to comprehensive, project-based evaluations that integrate various subject
competencies, ensuring students apply what they have learnt in a practical and cohesive manner. The
evaluations are crucial in the assessment of student learning and skills acquisition.

The thoroughness of this evaluation process, designed to ensure a comprehensive understanding

of the topics, should give stakeholders confidence in the effectiveness of the new curriculum.
Additionally, the revised curriculum advocates integrating digital technology in teaching and
learning, a crucial aspect of preparing a workforce ready for the fourth industrial revolution. The new
curriculum introduces a pedagogical framework that requires teachers to integrate ICT to facilitate
interactive, digital, and self-paced learning, thereby shifting from a knowledge transmission mode of
teaching to a more active learning approach, where students think independently, solve problems,
and make informed decisions. This new approach empowers learners to be knowledge creators while
teachers facilitate learning, a departure from the old curriculum where teachers were seen as the sole
source of knowledge.

Given the crucial role of teachers as facilitators for the revised lower secondary curriculum, NCDC
organized face-to-face training to prepare them for implementing the curriculum. Due to the
inadequacy of resources, the training followed a cascade model in which face-to-face training covered
35 percent of the teachers, who then served as master trainers who trained the remaining 65 percent
of teachers. However, the training has been deemed inadequate, as information transferred from
master trainers to trainees often became “adulterated,” leading to its ineffectiveness. Furthermore,
schools and managers were also ill-prepared to implement the revised curriculum.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Objectives of the study

Despite these shortcomings, the revised curriculum has been implemented since 2020, and the
pioneer students are expected to sit their final exams this year. Therefore, this policy paper aims to:

z Assess the status and progress of implementation of the revised lower secondary curriculum.
z Gather the experiences of teachers and learners in the implementation of the revised lower
secondary curriculum.
z Assess teachers’ retooling needs for the smooth implementation of the revised lower
secondary curriculum.

Methods and data sources

The study was qualitative, relying on desk reviews and a mini-survey carried out by the Economic
Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in collaboration with the African Center for Economic Transformation
(ACET) through the Youth Employment and Skills chapter of the Pan-African Coalition for
Transformation (YES-PACT).

z Desk reviews. To examine the status and progress of implementing the revised lower
secondary curriculum, the study relied on a review of existing literature and policy documents,
notably the Lower secondary curriculum framework 2019 – An assessment of quality of education
provision in secondary schools in Eastern Uganda (MOES, 2023) as well as literature from
newspapers and unpublished documents shared by Ugandan chapter members of YES-PACT.
z Mini-surveys. A mini-survey was conducted to collect the experiences of teachers who received
face-to-face training, the experiences of teachers trained by master trainers, and learners’
experiences of the revised curriculum. The survey also gathered information on the challenges
faced by teachers and solutions proposed to ensure effective implementation of the revised
curriculum. The interviews were conducted as focus group discussions for teachers and
students, and key informant interviews for school administrators such as headteachers, deputy
headteachers and directors of studies. Data were collected from 17 schools (9 private,
8 government schools) purposively selected from urban, semi-urban, and rural areas of
Western, Eastern and Central Uganda (Table 1). The data were analyzed qualitatively through
themes (assessment, projects, activities of integration, ICT, research and retooling, and
challenges) and reported in those categories. (Teachers who received face-to-face training,
teachers who received training from master trainers, and learners studying the revised
curriculum) backed with verbatim quotations and statements from participants.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Table 1: Summary of the schools visited, their status, and location

School School status Location

1 Kasangati High School Private Central Uganda

2 Hannah High School Private Central Uganda

Private (under Buganda

3 Lubiri High School Central Uganda
Kingdom)

4 Lukalu Secondary School Government and USE Eastern Uganda

5 Fountain of Hope Secondary School Private Eastern Uganda

6 Kakira High School Government and USE Eastern Uganda

7 Namutumba Seed School Government Eastern Uganda

8 Mooni High School Private Eastern Uganda

9 Bugwere High School Government and USE Eastern Uganda

10 Gayaza C/U Secondary School Private Central Uganda

11 St. Gyaviira High School Private Central Uganda

12 Holy Family Secondary School Government Central Uganda

13 Kaloke Christian High School Government Central Uganda

14 Nyarubanga Vocational Secondary School Private Western Uganda

15 Nyakayojo Secondary School Government and USE Western Uganda

16 Nyamitanga Secondary School Government Western Uganda

17 Crested High School Private Central Uganda

Source: EPRC, 2024

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Teachers gathered at Bugwere High School in Eastern Uganda for training conducted by Uganda National
Examinations Board (UNEB) officials on student assessment under the revised lower secondary curriculum.

YES-PACT members interact with students at one of the schools visited in Central Uganda.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Research findings
Experience of teachers who received face-to-face training
NCDC organized refresher training on the revised curriculum using a cascade model. The initial
training was crucial in introducing the teachers to the revised curriculum and creating different
platforms for continuous learning. It adequately covered the teaching methodology and introduced
updated teaching materials, resources, and strategies for an interactive learning experience for
students.

However, the training was generalized, covering humanities, arts, and sciences for all teachers
rather than subject-specific training. The training covered ICT integration, research, lesson plans,
presentations, assessment, scenario setting, and integration activities. Yet, master trainers feel that it
would have been more beneficial if each teacher had been trained in the subject they teach, as noted
below.

“The training grouped us according to humanities, sciences and art departments. I wish it were
subject-specific because when we came back, it was challenging to use the examples they used in
different subjects.”

Most participants indicated the training on assessment needed to be more thorough, as the focus
was on methodology. This left a huge gap in how to award scores for projects, AOIs, and end-of-cycle
assessment. One of the participants indicated that:

“The mode of assessment has continued to confuse teachers. Up to now, teachers are still
struggling with scoring assessments and project work, and UNEB has yet to train us, but we are
running out of time.”

The training emphasized that learners should not fail. For example, using the RACE assessment
method, a student who writes their name gets 3 out of 10 marks, which some teachers believe has
promoted laziness among learners. (RACE stands for relevance, accuracy, coherence and excellence. It
is a tool for assessing an activity of integration.)

“They told us that you cannot give a student zero, and students are aware of this, which has
made them very lazy because they know you can’t give them zero.”

Participants also noted the need for more time to research and present their findings for discussion,
given the limited resources. Additionally, the content could be more straightforward for the learners
to understand as the complex concepts of Senior.3 and Senior.4 were shifted to Senior.1 and Senior.2.

Teachers reported numerous errors in textbooks from the different publishers and learning materials
shared by NCDC, indicating that NCDC needed to consistently prompt the many publishers to be more
consistent, and avoid creating confusion for teachers.

“The prototypes had very many errors; even the current textbooks we have here have errors and
are not enough.”

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

The master trainers have done an incredible job of retooling other teachers through workshops and
peer learning but faced resistance from those still comfortable with the old curriculum.

“We faced a lot of teacher resistance and had to sit in their classes to ensure they were teaching
the revised curriculum. They did not want to lose face because, in the old curriculum, they were
the custodians of knowledge.”

The master trainers indicated that they relayed information they did not fully understand from their
first training since the first trainers from NCDC also appeared not to understand or be conversant with
the new curriculum. In addition, teachers have continued to interact with different facilitators who
share contradictory information.

“The first training was full of confusion. You could ask a question, and the trainers would say,
‘Let’s first leave issues at that level’ without giving clear answers. As time progressed, you could
see that the trainers’ quality improved.”

Parents were also resistant to the changes and unwilling to provide the materials needed by their
children, especially for project work. In addition, teachers showed concern that most parents do not
understand how learners are assessed, which has forced some schools to give end-of-term exams
even though the revised curriculum bans teachers from giving tests and exams. According to a
Ministry of Education assessment in 2023 of the quality of education provision in secondary schools in
eastern Uganda, 49.4 percent of schools adequately handled school-based assessments with end-of-
topic evaluation evidence. However, some schools are still stuck on monthly tests and term exams to
provide accountability to parents.

A teacher displays a solar dryer made by his students as a school project.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Discussion with Western and Central Uganda teachers during the mini-field visit.

“Parents’ attitude, especially regarding projects, is that they are unwilling to contribute to buy
materials. We let learners do what is within their means.”

“Parents don’t understand the scores, which has caused problems…. We have to keep converting
back to percentages which they are used to.”

Experience of teachers trained by master trainers

Most teachers received training from master trainers at the school level in workshops supported by
continuous peer-to-peer learning. This process has helped teachers understand the basics of the
revised curriculum, how to engage learners, and how to set scenarios. However, these teachers also
feel that the training would have been more effective if it had been subject-specific.

“They trained us using their subjects and examples, so the training was insufficient…. We need
training for the specific subjects.”

The cascade model of training prevented teachers from getting first-hand information, creating
confusion due to contradictory instructions from different master trainers. In addition, the participants
noted that master trainers expected them to understand quickly; they did not give the training
enough time and did not want to be challenged. Every teacher needed face-to-face training, as one of
the participants put it, “Akudilamu oluyimba taluwomya,” meaning that second-hand information is
impure and cannot be trusted.

“We have different facilitators who give contradictory information. Very few teachers have first-
hand information, so we get confused by facilitators.”

“The other challenge is that master trainers are behaving like small gods. You must do what they
tell you even if you think it’s wrong or have researched and found some new information. They
don’t want to be challenged.”

Assessment remains the biggest challenge for most teachers and the master trainers. Awarding scores
for AOIs, projects, and generic skills in and outside class needed to be made more uniform during the
training. As one of the teachers explained,

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

“I don’t know how to assess; you know it’s out of a certain percentage, but you don’t know how
much to award. So, I will cheat the students or give them more than they deserve.”

Project work is being done in several schools. However, most teachers reported that it is cumbersome.
Teachers feel it is daunting for one teacher alone to carry the details of the whole project for classes
with vast numbers of students. It also takes time to sort student ideas and approve each idea as a
project. Some teachers are also unsure about specific ideas that could qualify as projects. Controversy
still arises about whether students should work in groups or as individuals to accomplish projects. The
individual approach has been reported to be more authentic and engaging for each learner. However,
many individuals end up with similar ideas and there is duplication of project reports. It is also much
more demanding for teachers. The group approach lightens the teacher’s load, but some students
remain dormant and inactive, riding on other group members’ efforts. Besides, UNEB is yet to clarify
whether projects should be individual or group work.

“There are many [unanswered] questions, and we don’t know how to proceed with the projects. Is
it one project per student, one project per subject, or a group project? We need these questions
answered and soon.”

Although teachers are required to integrate more ICT skills into lesson planning and delivery, they
report that ICT integration is still an uphill task due to insufficient resources such as a limited number
of computers and in most schools a lack of internet connectivity.

“We have a computer laboratory, but it’s not connected to the internet…. As teachers, we have
not received ICT training, not even the basics, and we don’t have time and resources to acquire
these skills on our own.”

There are other ways teachers, schools, and learners can integrate ICT usage, including using phones,
radios, projectors, and television. In some schools, teachers told us they were using their phones to
access the internet and conduct research at their own cost. Students are not allowed to have a phone
or a radio. In schools where day scholars were implored to use their parents’ phones whenever they
were at home, many students said their parents did not own smartphones.

Other challenges identified by teachers in implementing the revised curriculum include the following.

z Funding needs. The revised curriculum is project-based and requires extensive funding to
enable schools to acquire the necessary tools, such as computers, internet access, and other
materials.
z Instructional material scarcity. The scarcity of instructional materials has forced some
teachers to use the old curriculum because they cannot afford textbooks for the revised
curriculum. This is more pronounced for language subjects such as Kiswahili and Luganda as no
textbooks were provided by NCDC.
z Inadequate training. Some schools still teach the old curriculum because teachers were not
effectively trained to implement the new curriculum.
z ICT integration remains the biggest challenge. ICT is the main ingredient of the revised
curriculum; however, access has remained an uphill task for teachers and students. Besides
challenges of access to equipment, teachers are not skilled in using the computer, let alone
integrate it into lesson delivery. Students do not have an opportunity to learn this important skill
due to inadequate equipment and teachers’ knowledge.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

A typical computer lab in some schools visited. Lack of ICT equipment means schools cannot sufficiently
integrate ICT in their teaching, as required by the new curriculum.

Experience of learners
The study focused on learners in lower secondary schools using the revised curriculum. In most of the
schools visited, a mixture of learners from levels S.1 to S.4 were selected to share their experiences.
According to the learners interviewed, the new curriculum is challenging because the content requires
much time to comprehend, and scenarios are difficult to understand. However, they also reported
that it helps them express their ideas without fear, share knowledge, and work in groups rather than
depend entirely on teachers. Making notes has helped learners become self-driven, and presentations
have been critical in building their confidence. In addition, project work has exposed them to practical
skills that are useful for solving daily problems. As some learners explained:

“In project work, you must solve a community problem. Our project was to make cheap liquid
soap, and even the school supported us. Now we are making money.”

Learners engage in research and take notes. They work in groups and present their findings for
each topic, adopting roles such as chairperson and secretary to represent the group, and ensuring
that everyone participates. After the presentations, teachers discuss more information to refine
understanding. Many learners depend on the few textbooks in a school library for research, which are
often outdated, due to the absence of computers and internet connections. Because of this limitation,
some teachers opt to dictate notes for the learners.

“……. when all groups have presented their findings, and some notes are missing, the teachers
give us more notes. A few times, teachers dictate notes when we can’t do research.”

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

For project work, learners are given a theme to identify a community problem and write a proposal.
While teachers approve proposals, materials for projects are often expensive, posing a challenge.
Some parents are unwilling to give financial support, hence students opt for projects that require
cheap or freely available materials. Notably, students need to be made aware of how many projects
are expected of them and whether projects should be individual or group-based.

Learners complete activities of integration after every topic and are awarded marks. In case an AOI is
failed or missed, students are given a chance to redo AOIs from the same topic to compensate.

“An AOI is like an exam and is done individually. When you are absent and miss it, or you do it
and fail, you are given a re-do of up to two chances. If you fail the second chance, then they take
your highest score.”

ICT integration remains challenging. Although schools have computer laboratories, the number of
computers is often inadequate and many teachers lack basic ICT skills. Learners indicated that ICT
lessons and computer lab access are reserved for ICT elective learners. This leaves many learners
without an opportunity to acquire basic ICT skills due to the limited number of computers compared
with the huge number of learners.

“We don’t get the chance to do practicals in the computer laboratory because we are many and
the computers are few. Last term, I went to the computer laboratory only one time, to do the
practical exam.”

YES-PACT field members,

Uganda chapter, in
discussion with teachers at
Hannar High School Wakiso.

YES-PACT members interact

with teachers.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

Conclusion and policy recommendations

Teachers and learners have generally welcomed the revised lower secondary curriculum. Although
the initial training conducted by NCDC to help teachers implement the curriculum had some gaps,
teachers have continued to learn from each other how to roll out the curriculum. Despite their efforts,
several challenges persist, including a lack of subsequent training, insufficient parental support,
inadequate ICT resources and limited internet connectivity. The following recommendations are
proposed to address these issues:

z Provide continuous teacher retraining. UNEB and NCDC should provide continuous and
comprehensive training in project work and assessment, as many teachers reported the need
for clarity in these areas. Future training should consider subject-specific workshops to give
teachers real, subject-based examples.
z Train teachers in ICT before they teach students. ICT is the main ingredient of the revised
curriculum. All teachers should be retooled with basic ICT skills before they can be charged with
teaching and integrating ICT into lesson delivery.
z Fast-track teacher training on awarding and submitting scores. UNEB should fast-track and
expedite the process of teacher training on methods for awarding and submitting scores. Many
teachers are uncertain and need clarification about the proper procedure to award and submit
scores. As pioneer students of the curriculum get closer to ending their O-level cycle, timely
support is crucial to ensure accurate and fair assessment.
z Streamline expectations regarding project work. UNEB and NCDC should streamline their
expectations to eliminate confusion and provide clear guidelines for project work. Teachers
reported needing clarification on the number of projects and the modalities of project work. This
needs to be cleared up soon, since learners are preparing for end-of-cycle exams.
z Engage parents. Through the Ministry of Education and Sports, the government should
sensitize parents about the revised curriculum’s essence, expectations, and requirements. This
can be done through media campaigns on radio and television. It would be critical to inform
parents of the requirements of some aspects of the curriculum in which learners need support.
Thus, awareness campaigns can inform parents about what is expected and necessary for their
children’s success.
z Regulate publishers. The Ministry of Education and Sports and NCDC should work closely
to intervene and guide textbook publishers to agree on the information to be published. This
will prevent errors and incorrect information from reaching learners and misleading teachers,
ensuring the accuracy and quality of educational materials.
z Support teachers of arts subjects. Particular attention and additional training should be
given specifically to teachers of arts subjects. Art teachers appear to lag behind their science
counterparts, who have received more training and benefitted from the Secondary Science
and Mathematics Teachers program. Targeted support can help bridge this gap and ensure all
teachers are equally equipped to deliver the curriculum.

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Implementing Uganda’s revised lower secondary curriculum

References
• Blessing Atwine, Madina M. Guloba, Elizabeth A. Birabwa and Alon Mwesigwa (2023), Teacher
training and re-training are critical for delivering the competence-based lower secondary curriculum.
https://eprcug.org/publication/teacher-training-and-re-training-are-critical-for-delivering-the-
competence-based-lower-secondary-curriculum/

• Ministry of Education and Sports (2023), An assessment of the quality of education provision in
secondary schools in Eastern Uganda. Unpublished.

• National Curriculum Development Centre (2019), Lower secondary curriculum framework https://
www.mukalele.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/New-Curriculum-Framework-with-Subject-Menu-
Ammendment.pdf

This policy paper was made possible by the contributions of all the Uganda YES-PACT members.
The authors are highly indebted to Dr. Bernadette Nambi, the Deputy Director, NCDC; Mr. Twahah
Musoke, the Executive Director, Eagles Youth Development Initiative; Ms. Jackie Namakula, Education
Officer, Global Schools Advocate; Mr. Sadat Zziwa, the Executive Director, Ngabo Youth Friendly
Services Centre; and Ms. Anna Nabulya, the Deputy Director Uganda Youth Development Link, who
participated in the field visits for the mini-survey.

Blessing Atwine, Research Analyst, Economic Policy Research Centre

Madina M. Guloba, Senior Research Fellow, Economic Policy Research Centre

Authors
Alon Mwesigwa, Communications Officer, Economic Policy Research Centre

Elizabeth Birabwa Aliro, Programmes Manager, Economic Policy Research Centre

All photos courtesy EPRC, 2024.

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