Primary 6 and 7 get new curriculum
Nov 17, 2010
PRIMARY schools in the country will be required to follow a new curriculum for Primary Six and Seven beginning next term.
By Conan Businge
and Ann Mugisa
PRIMARY schools in the country will be required to follow a new curriculum for Primary Six and Seven beginning next term.
The new content will include revised East Africa affairs and some topics which had been dropped when the lower and middle primary curricula were being revised.
“For instance in Social Studies, Rwanda and Burundi had not been included in the East African studies,†according to Connie Kateeba, the head of the National Curriculum Development Centre in the education ministry.
“But with the revision of the curriculum, detailed information about the two countries has been included in the new textbooks to be used by pupils and teachers,†Kateeba added.
Illustrations like graphs, tables and literature used have been simplified, according to Kateeba.
He made the disclosure during the 17th Education and Sports Sector review workshop in Kampala.
The new upper primary curriculum, Kateeba added, would focus on “what a child can gain from a lesson, other than what a teacher can complete in a syllabusâ€.
The new curriculum will maintain the seven subjects done in middle primary, namely; english, mathematics, social studies, religious education, integrated science, local languages and creative arts and physical education.
This is the third phase of the primary education curriculum review.
The first one, dubbed thematic curriculum, was introduced in 2007 for P1 up to P3. At the beginning of this year, the new curriculum for P4 and P5 was started.
Kateeba said the thematic and middle primary curricula had improved the level of literacy, numeracy and life skills.
She added that in lower primary, pupils are taught in local languages, using a curriculum based on themes, rather than subjects.
The introduction of subjects and the change to english as the medium of teaching in P4 was aimed at preparing them for the new upper primary curriculum.
“We are in the process of printing text books and other learning materials for P6. For P7, we are still at the drafting stage. Both curricula will be rolled out next term,†Kateeba said.
and Ann Mugisa
PRIMARY schools in the country will be required to follow a new curriculum for Primary Six and Seven beginning next term.
The new content will include revised East Africa affairs and some topics which had been dropped when the lower and middle primary curricula were being revised.
“For instance in Social Studies, Rwanda and Burundi had not been included in the East African studies,†according to Connie Kateeba, the head of the National Curriculum Development Centre in the education ministry.
“But with the revision of the curriculum, detailed information about the two countries has been included in the new textbooks to be used by pupils and teachers,†Kateeba added.
Illustrations like graphs, tables and literature used have been simplified, according to Kateeba.
He made the disclosure during the 17th Education and Sports Sector review workshop in Kampala.
The new upper primary curriculum, Kateeba added, would focus on “what a child can gain from a lesson, other than what a teacher can complete in a syllabusâ€.
The new curriculum will maintain the seven subjects done in middle primary, namely; english, mathematics, social studies, religious education, integrated science, local languages and creative arts and physical education.
This is the third phase of the primary education curriculum review.
The first one, dubbed thematic curriculum, was introduced in 2007 for P1 up to P3. At the beginning of this year, the new curriculum for P4 and P5 was started.
Kateeba said the thematic and middle primary curricula had improved the level of literacy, numeracy and life skills.
She added that in lower primary, pupils are taught in local languages, using a curriculum based on themes, rather than subjects.
The introduction of subjects and the change to english as the medium of teaching in P4 was aimed at preparing them for the new upper primary curriculum.
“We are in the process of printing text books and other learning materials for P6. For P7, we are still at the drafting stage. Both curricula will be rolled out next term,†Kateeba said.