Makerere University College of Education and External Studies (CEES) has committed to transforming the assessment of learners through research.

This is aimed at boosting critical thinking amongst learners to enable them to adapt to 21st-century skills.

“We have been teaching learners to pass exams but not to think of what to do next, but we believe this is not the way to go,” said Prof. Anthony Mugagga, the college's principal.

L-R; Prof. Anthony Mugagga the Principal CEES, Hassan Kilabira, Samuel Otieno the GESCI project lead and Dr.David Kabugo Director centre for teaching and learning support Makerere University interacting during the launch

Speaking during the launch of adapting assessment into policy and learning (ADAPT), an adolescent 21st-century skills project, Mugagga stressed that Uganda’s examinations at the lower levels need to change a bit to suit the global ways of doing things.

“We think that this project will enable us as teacher trainers to orient teachers with the best skills they can use to go out and assess students," said Mugagga.

ADAPT, Adolescent 21st century skills in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is a research initiative seeking to promote the acquisition of 21st-century skills for adolescents by strengthening utilization of data from learning assessments in curriculum design, adaptation, and delivery.

Mugagga blamed the current lack of critical thinking in the country on the poor education system which is not very much determined by the teachers’ trainers thus requiring the entire change of the status quo.

“We want to get teachers who know how to assess learners for a purpose," he said. 

According to Samuel Otieno, the project lead from Kenya, the project is implemented by a consortium of partners including Makerere University, the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI), and the University of Notre Dame’s Global Centre for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC).

It is aimed at conducting studies to internalize and translate the existing learning assessment into policy and practice in Uganda through the research to generate lessons from past and present national and regional learning assessments and initiatives to enhance national data-driven decision making.

“We want to Mobilize policy uptake on the utilization of learning assessments in the education plans, curriculum frameworks, and teacher development, “he said.

The ADAPT project according to Otieno is being funded by the Global Partnership for Education and the International Development Research Centre under the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange programme.

The Assistant Commissioner Secondary and Private Institutions in the Ministry of Education and sports, George Muteekanga, observed the need to involve all the examination bodies in the implementation of the project.

He observed that there was limited evidence on how to best incorporate 21-century skills within school systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

“There is a lot of evidence generated by the multilateral organisation on how to address 21-century skills within programs but limited information on how to effectively incorporate these skills within the education programs and school curricula, “he said.

Studies have shown that there are inadequate capacities among teachers, civil society, and Ministry officials to effectively and reliably use the available assessment data to make an evidence-based decision in addition to lack of coordination within and across countries and partners working on the 21st-century skills in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hassan Kilabira, the chairman National Private Educational Institutions Association applauded the Ministry of Education for coming up with 21st-century skills from nursery to secondary.

The Assistant Commissioner Secondary and Private Institutions in the Ministry of Education and sports George Muteekanga making a presentation during the launch

He, however, said that there is a missing link between what is ready for the learners to learn and who instructs the learners, which must be manifested within the teacher education process.

“The teacher education process does not focus on how the teacher imparts the skills into the learners, so we are optimistic that this project will bridge this gap, especially connecting the teacher educator and the teacher to the learner, “he said.