EDUCATION | MUGAGGA | CURRICULUM

KAMPALA - Makerere College of Education and External Studies principal Prof. Anthony Mugagga has underscored the need to review the teacher training curriculum at the university to help the teachers train to suit the current global trend, which requires the use of technology.

Speaking during the launch of the formative study report on the utilisation of learning assessments in Uganda, Mugaga said they have taken so long without reviewing the government white paper on Education. 

The function took place at Makerere University on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.

“Things have gone a little bit astray, but the challenges remain that should we change the curriculum, the assessment or the way teachers are taught," he wondered.

He explained that the way teachers are taught has not changed so much, yet the world the teachers work in and the children they teach are massively changing.

“Since the changes are too first, it is imperative for us to also move at a supersonic speed, but we are constrained by policy," he said.

"Before we can change our curriculum, we have to go to Senate and the National Council for Higher Education. This means that we are in a tight corner on how we change things," Mugagga added.

"But there is also a policy which says don’t change and yet the children being taught are up to date," he said.

Mugagga observed that there are many children right from nursery school, who know how to use a computer better than their teachers and yet most teachers don’t know. how to use such gadgets.

“You find a teacher in Rwemitaaga, Nakapiripiriti, and Lwamucuucu who has never touched an iPhone, but the child he is going to teach has an iPhone," he added.

George Mutekanga, the commisioner private schools in the Ministry of Education and Sports makes a presentation during the launch of the report. (All Photos by Agnes Nantambi)

"All this creates a problem meaning that we need to sit and rethink how best to make the teachers fit in the environment they are going to work in, we need an immediate curriculum review,“ he said.

About the study

The study was conducted under the Adapting assessment into policy and learning (ADAPT): Adolescent 21st Century skills Project in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. 

It was supported by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge & Innovation Exchange (GPE-KIX) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and was aimed at answering questions related to how to use the learnings from past assessment experiences to establish and strengthen a dynamic learning community in East Africa.

The project was implemented by Makerere University, Global E - Schools and Communities Initiatives (GESCI) and the University of Notre Dame’s Global Centre for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC).

The study presented by Dr John Mary Mitana was also aimed at identifying the best ways in which to support policymakers to integrate the ALiVE learning assessment into data-driven decisions to improve curriculum design and delivery.

Findings of the study

The study showed a poor attitude of the stakeholders towards learning assessments noting that whereas many of the stakeholders appreciate the need for 21st-century skills, their attention and focus were found to be on the end-of-cycle examinations.

“Some of them perceived the assessment of life skills and values as very difficult, while others expressed negative attitudes about the relevancy of assessing life skills and values, “it indicated.

The study further indicated that the key national stakeholders in the education sector are reluctant to engage in the debate emanating from the learning assessment results particularly when they are perceived to be negative or indicating government failure.

Annet Mugisha Assistant Commissioner, TETD/MoES makes a presentation during the launch of the report.

The study also proved that Policy makers are not fully utilising the learning assessment results as intended, to inform classroom practices and policy reforms, while most of the assessments do not trickle down to the relevant stakeholders in the country.

The study also showed that nonstate learning assessment efforts such as UWEZO seemed to have received wider national coverage compared to the national learning assessments because they have clear dissemination strategies.

Education ministry commissioner of private schools, while officiating at the launch, decried the increasing anxiety created at every end-of-year exam by UNEB observing the need to create regional examination centres at primary levels to reduce the pressure to pass exams.

“We don’t need to create pressure among the learners to pass exams, but these learners can have national exams at O'level and can be assessed according to their competencies," he said.

Brighton Barugahare the Commissioner, planning and policy at the education ministry called for new initiatives and ideas to inform the transformation of teacher training terrain.

“We have not defined the purpose of assessment, children are not sleeping, but are busy in books, the stress levels are high provoking them to acquire even others to sit for exams on their behalf. This raises a policy issue to define the purpose of assessment," he said. 

He observed that utilising assessment data can help improve the teaching practice noting that teachers are currently teaching the new curriculum, but still assessing learners using the old structures.