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Teachers Rallied to Rollout Revised Curriculum in Acholi

The curriculum has attracted nationwide criticism among members of the public and educationists. Last week, the Parliament of Uganda suspended its implementation after a heated plenary on grounds of inadequate stakeholder consultation. They said that the schools were not adequately prepared to roll out the new curriculum.
L-R; Bernard Janja of NCDC, Chairperson of Senior Secondary Schools’ Association of Head-teachers in Acholi Christopher Opoka (Red Coat) and Okot P. Bitek of SESAMAT addresing teachers in Gulu last week - Photo by Dominic Ochola

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The Senior Secondary Schools’ Association of Head-teachers in Acholi sub-region has rallied teachers to roll out the revised lower secondary education curriculum as senior one students report for classes on Monday, February, 17. 

The curriculum has attracted nationwide criticism among members of the public and educationists. Last week, the Parliament of Uganda suspended its implementation after a heated plenary on grounds of inadequate stakeholder consultation. They said that the schools were not adequately prepared to roll out the new curriculum. 

Early this month, more than 750 teachers drawn from across 145 schools in Acholi sub region convened at Sacred Heart Secondary School in Gulu, for a week-long training on the implementation of the curriculum. However, the teachers said they were not well prepared to carry out the task even after being trained by facilitators from the National Curriculum Development Centre – NCDC. 

But the Chairperson of the Senior Secondary Schools’ Association of Head-teachers in Acholi, Christopher Opoka has rallied different schools and teachers under the association to disregard the influence of the MPs unless the Education Ministry communicates otherwise.   

//Cue in; “We have people…

Cue out…always been doing.”//   

Opoka, also the Headteacher of Kitgum High School argues that teachers across the country are the first line of defence towards the success or failure of the momentous curriculum that took 12 years for the government to modify. 

//Cue in; “We are working…

Cue out…play your role.”//  

But Isaac Ocan, a teacher of Biology and Chemistry at St. John Pope Paul II Secondary School in Gulu district asserts that the developers of the new curriculum should think of the consequences of rushing its implementation. 

//Cue in; “They have informed…

Cue out…going to crush.”//    

Okot P. Bitek, the Chairperson of Secondary Schools Mathematics (SESAMAT) Program in Acholi sub-region is optimistic that despite the controversies surrounding the curriculum, it will soon be implemented.    

//Cue in; “The new curriculum… 

Cue out…with the generals.”//  

Responding to the scarcity of materials for implementation of the curriculum, Bernard Janja, a Curriculum Development Specialist at NCDC encouraged schools and teachers to mobilize their resources and roll out the programme.  

//Cue in; “You are going… 

Cue out…them on market.”//  

Teaching the revised subjects under the new curriculum will require a school to teach 12 subjects at Senior One and Two, out of which 11 will be compulsory whereas one will be optional. NCDC has condensed 43 subjects from the old curriculum to 21. 

The approved curriculum will see Senior three and senior four learners concentrate on a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine subjects with seven of them compulsory. meanwhile a school routine will be expected to end at 4:30 p.m.   

According to the curriculum, teachers will accumulate learners’ achievement from formative assessment in the sequence of four years to find an average score that will contribute 20 per cent in the final exams set by Uganda National Examinations Board - UNEB