As Ugandans continue to debate what some have described as “poor performance” in the 2024 national examinations, educationist Dr. Lawrence Muganga has urged the public to look beyond grades and ask a more important question: what exactly are learners being assessed on?
In a statement shared on X, Dr. Muganga said for many years Uganda’s education system mainly measured recall and memorisation, where learners passed by reproducing what teachers told them in class. He noted that this approach is slowly changing.
“Except for the recent period when the Competency Based Curriculum began to take effect, we have mainly been measuring recall and memorisation,” Dr. Muganga said.
He explained that current reforms in assessment are deliberately shifting away from cramming. At O-Level, about 20 percent of the examinations already reflect this change, while at primary level, assessment methods are also evolving.
Learners are now expected to understand, apply knowledge, and demonstrate skills, rather than simply remember facts.
According to Dr. Muganga, these changes are gradually leveling the playing field. He said the old system, where pupils memorised everything a teacher said and reproduced it on paper, is beginning to fade.
As a result, performance patterns are also changing, which may explain why some results look different from previous years.
His comments come at a time when the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results have sparked nationwide discussion, with parents and schools questioning trends in grades and divisions.
Education experts say the shift to competency-based assessment is necessary to prepare learners for real-life problem solving, even though the transition may be uncomfortable for a system long used to ranking success by high grades alone.