We will streamline the new curriculum with Parliament - Mrs. Museveni

EDUCATION

The First Lady and the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, has pledged to meet Members of Parliament in order to streamline the new curriculum for lower secondary education following a misunderstanding between her ministry and the legislators.

This follows a directive last Thursday by the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, summoning Mrs. Museveni to appear before the Committee of the Whole House to explain on what she termed as ‘defying' Parliament, which had resolved to suspend the execution of the reviewed ‘O' lever school curriculum.

The Speaker demanded that the minister goes to Parliament and answer questions raised by Mps relating to the cabinet's decision to go ahead with the implementation despite the parliament's resolution on the matter. 

During plenary, Kadaga instructed the leader of government business, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to inform the minister about the matter.

Presiding over the closure of the placement exercise for S.5, Primary Teachers' Colleges and Technical Institutions at Uganda Manufacturers' Association (UMA) show Hall at Lugogo on Friday, Mrs. Museveni said she did not intend to comment much about the matter of the roll out of the new curriculum in lower secondary.

Citing the misunderstanding between her ministry and Parliament, she however said the matter will be streamlined so that they (her ministry and Parliament) all move at per. 

"I would like to say here that I didn't want to go a lot into the roll out of the new curriculum because there is a misunderstanding between us and Parliament," she told the head teachers and representatives of various schools and institutions.

She added: "We want to streamline it so that we can move at per because we don't want to have part of us misunderstanding what we are trying to do."

 According to Mrs. Museveni, "rolling out lower secondary curriculum is a duty for us as policy makers and government", explaining that the matter had been held for too long.

"Some of you know or all of you know that it has been (curriculum) in the pipeline for 12 years and we didn't want to let this pass again as we try to prepare better," she said.

She explained that starting any new thing may not have all the preparations done at the same page, adding, "But nonetheless we will continue to do what we are doing in the Ministry of Education," she explained.

The minister pledged that her ministry would try to get the Members of Parliament as ‘our partners also in leadership to understand the roll out of lower secondary curriculum so that we can then move at the same level'.

She said it was important for the schools as well to have the ‘freedom to do this knowing that government is all backing you'.

Mrs. Museveni pledged to address the press to let the public know what they were doing but after she has finished explaining the matter to parliament.      

The function was attended by the State minister for sports Hamison Denis Obua, director for education standards Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, Commissioner for BTVET DR. Safina Musene and chairperson of the National Placement Committee, Benson Kule, among others.

Earlier on Mrs. Museveni defended the government's move to go ahead with the implementation saying consultations about the new curriculum were adequate and that the intentions of Government in implementing the curriculum were what majority of Ugandans want.

She said rather than stopping the curriculum, further consultations with parliamentarians would instead be pursued.

In the new curriculum, teachers will be required to compile the learners' achievements under the formative assessment in the four-year cycle, find an average score and submit it to the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB).

The score will contribute at least 20% in UNEB's final national examinations grading.

Cross-cutting issues, such as climate change, patriotism, human rights, peace, gender and HIV/AIDS have been integrated into the various subjects. 

Information, Computer and Technology (ICT) will be used as both an instructional tool for learning and as a subject.

Also, classes under the new curriculum will begin at 8:30 am and end at 2:50 pm in what the ministry described as a learner-centered syllabus.