Members of Parliament suspended the newly launched ‘O’Level curriculum presented by the Ministry of Education for their review on Tuesday because most vital subjects have been made optional, and that wide consultations have not been done.
The government had announced changes in the lower secondary education curriculum in which teaching subjects have been reduced from 43 to 21 and among many other things.
The Ministry of Education through the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), has revised the curriculum by removing termly exams and replacing it with projects that students will do at every end of the topic without the teaching aids like textbooks and enough trained teachers for each subject.
The executive director of the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) Grace Baguma said that the subject content was reduced by getting rid of obsolete knowledge and integrating related knowledge depending on relevance, societal needs and national goals.
The teacher is the facilitator of learning that is to mean learners are expected to contribute to their learning with guidance from the teachers.
According to the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), the teachers will teach 12 subjects at senior one and two, of which 11 will be compulsory while one will be from an elective menu (optional).
And Students at levels three and four (Senior 3 and 4) will exit with a minimum of eight or a maximum of nine subjects, with seven of them compulsory.
For senior three and four, Agriculture and fine art are electives whereas History and political science are compulsory subjects.
Again, Classroom teaching has been reduced to 5 hours a day. Lessons start at 8:30 am and end at 2:50 pm which allows learners to engage in research, clubs, games and sports and have time for revision for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This curriculum aims at producing a holistic learner equipped with skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes required for the 21st century. Generic skills emphasized are critical thinking, problem-solving, mathematical computation, ICT proficiency, and communication.
Under the new curriculum, some of the compulsory subjects include Physical Education, Entrepreneurship Education and Kiswahili with the Chinese language also added to the menu of foreign languages for learners in senior one and two.
Nakaseke South MP Luttamaguzi Ssemakula said that there are not enough Kiswahili teachers in the country and therefore making it compulsory and leaving the local language is disastrous.
He insisted that Agriculture should be made compulsory.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament, the affiliates say Agriculture should be made compulsory since it’s a backbone of the country. And subjects like Kiswahili should be made electives.
Moses Kasibante, the Rubaga North MP also argued that the Ministry should look at Arabic and Chinese mandarin which is widely spoken and that this would help boost the country’s trade relations with other countries.
He added that Uganda is already trading with China more than other East African countries and emphasizing Swahili would be of no economic value.
The Ministry of Education has since extended the beginning of the term in some schools until training is done.
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