Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has assured schools that the abridged curriculum that was approved by the government will be the basis for UNEB assessment this year, calling for continuous preparation for the exams.
In a notice to all headteachers, centre supervisors of UCE and UACE Centres, Dan Odongo, the executive director, UNEB said it has come to their attention that there are concerns as to whether UNEB will set this year’s examinations as per the abridged, Curriculum by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).
“The board would like to assure head teachers and learners that UNEB will not depart from the guidelines provided by the Ministry regarding the abridged curriculum. This is therefore to re-affirm that this year’s assessment will be in accordance with the abridged curriculum arrangements as approved by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES),” he said in a statement.
This year’s national examinations will be conducted from October November 14 to 16 for UCE, November 7th to 9th for PLE, and November 18 December 9th for UACE.
In January this year, the government revealed that it will implement the abridged curriculum for the next three years to enable students who have been automatically promoted to the next class exit gradually.
This post-Covid-19 curriculum seeks to help learners cope under the automatic promotion arrangement.
Initially, the Ministry of Education had indicated that the abridged curriculum will be implemented for only one year and return to the ordinary curriculum.
But the government later approved the new abridged curriculum to be taught for the next three years before learners can return to the old syllabus.
Abridged curriculum condenses material worth two years into one year.
For-instance, a pupil who was in primary four before the lockdown would now be in Primary five and would be taught material for both classes in one year under the new abridged curriculum.
According to the Minister of Education, Janet Museveni, an abridged curriculum has been developed for all primary and secondary classes, with exception of primary one, senior one and senior five, which will use the standard curriculum.