Headteachers urged to implement abridged curriculum to enable learners cover more content

In order to ensure equity in access and inclusive education, the Ministry of Education and Sports has urged school heads to ensure that the abridged curriculum is implemented to enable learners cover more content in a relatively short span without compromising quality.

The remarks were made during news conference on the implementation of the abridged curriculum for primary and secondary levels of education.

Ketty Lamaro, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the intervention will promote learner progression with ease, without missing out on the critical concepts and competencies.

"The abridged curriculum is not a new curriculum, but a shortened or repackaged form of the standard curriculum. It focuses on the critical concepts and competencies to ensure learner progression," she said.

She explained the curriculum was developed by reorganising the scope and sequence of the content in the standard curriculum, so that learners can cover more content in a relatively short span without compromising quality.

"Content for some topics was compressed or merged. This curriculum will be in use for a period of 1 to 3 years, to allow a safe transition to the standard curriculum," said Lamaro.

She said the ministry trained master trainers and teachers from across the country, to support the other levels of training in the respective regions targeting various teams consisting of head teachers, District Education Officers (DEOs), directors of studies among others

These are expected to train the subject teachers across the country to deliver the abridged curriculum to the learners.

Regarding the matter of abridged curriculum in relation to the end-cycle examinations, Lamaro said Uganda National Examinations Board is preparing to examine the content and skills that are currently being taught.

“As it were, examinations are absolutely informed by the curriculum and UNEB is bound by this practice even in this forthcoming examination. Therefore, the abridged curriculum should be implemented as designed; as it is the curriculum that will be assessed by the Uganda National Examinations Board at the end of cycle, ”she said.