Experts have called for a review of Uganda’s curriculum to address the changing society needs.
Speaking during the two-day International Conference on ‘Trends in Curriculum Development’ hosted by National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Thursday, experts, educators, and policymakers said innovative strategies are needed to 21st-century curriculum development.
“A truly transformed nation or society cannot have a static education. Instead, it continually seeks ways of continuously improving the system in pursuit of excellence,” Prof. Charles Kwesiga, Executive Director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute, said.
Dr. Lawrence Muganga, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, added: “The curriculum should be interesting for both teachers and students, as well as rich in information and knowledge from the present. The government needs to make improvements to education accessible for both full-time students and those who are working.”
The First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni also stressed that focus should be on the long-term goals of education.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my hope that as we discuss the reconceptualisation of the curriculum in the 21st century, our focus will be on the long-term goals of education for our respective countries. This is the time for us to think of how best we can design our curricula, how best we can implement them, and how best we can assess the learning achievements to ensure that effective learning takes place in the teaching learning process. We should also contemplate on the policy implications of the issues under discussion,” she said.
Dr Grace K. Baguma, the Director of NCDC, committed to address the issues raised by the experts.
“We are committed to localising and decolonising the curriculum by ensuring that our young people learn about our rich cultural heritage and values. We also recognise the significant role of ICT in education and are exploring innovative ways to integrate technology into the curriculum,” she said.
“We believe that stakeholders’ involvement is crucial to the success of curriculum development and implementation. We are committed to engaging all stakeholders, including teachers, parents, students, policymakers, and the private sector, in transforming the education sector,” she added.
One of the studies done by David Kakeeto, Josephine Najjemba Lutaaya, Lillian Tamale and, Uwineza Mimi Harriet called for integration of multimedia technology to improve classroom teaching.
The study recommends that teacher-trainers need to invest more time in developing or identifying relevant multimedia resources for their students, but also institutions must develop appropriate policies for multimedia technology integration.