The government of Uganda is proposing a collection of reforms for lower primary education, and as part of it, has decided to introduce three new subjects in a new curriculum.
Officials from the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) yesterday said the new curriculum is expected to cost Shs204b (about $55m). The curriculums to be introduced are Swahili, Science and Social Studies (SST) to learners in Primary One, Two and Three. These subjects are currently introduced to the learners from Primary Four.
The Deputy Director of Research, Consultancy, and Library Services at NCDC, Dr. Richard Irumba, said the move aims at ensuring that learners can comprehend the two subjects from the onset.
“Schools have been implementing a thematic curriculum at this level and the principles of sciences were covered well in literacy,” Dr Irumba said.
He also added that learners were taught these subjects as sub-topics in literacy one and two, but they were not sufficiently covered and taught. Also, as the government is pushing the technology and science agenda for the development of the country, Dr. Irumba said this cannot be achieved without sciences being introduced to learners at an early stage. He further stated that SST, on the other hand, encompasses civic education, hence being crucial to young learners.
The new curriculum will soon be approved, when it is approved, starting in July, learners will learn seven subjects.
Dr Irumba made the remarks yesterday at the head offices of Monitor Publications Limited in Kampala during a courtesy visit to partner with the organization in publicizing their events, including the forthcoming international conference on curriculum development as they mark 50 years of existence.
The communications officer of NCDC, Mr Taddeo Bwambale said the center will use the Shs180b to, among others, develop and print materials, train more than 150,000 teachers across the country, and review all the subjects.
In 2017, the Ministry of Education rolled out a thematic curriculum for Primary One and Two after the literacy level among learners had dropped. Six years down the road, the ministry plans to review the entire curriculum for the primary level.
According to Dr Irumba due to insufficient funds, it has been difficult for them to meet the requirement to revive the curriculum every five years to match the changing technology.
The move to introduce the science subject in the lower primary was welcomed by the Secretary General of the Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union, Mr. Aaron Mugaiga. He also added that the NCDC should include the component of practical sessions at the primary level so that pupils are also exposed to scientific experiments at an early age.