Government unveils new transitional curriculum for A-Level

The Ugandan government has announced a transitional curriculum to bridge the new lower secondary curriculum and the A-level, set to last for about four years.

Instead of a full overhaul, the curriculum will adapt the existing A-level syllabus by condensing content and removing redundancies.

A source within the education ministry disclosed that the current Senior One (S1) students will be the last group to use this transitional curriculum before an entirely new approach is implemented.

The National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) will refine the current curriculum, eliminating obsolete topics while introducing a competence-based approach, similar to the new O-level curriculum.

Key to this transition, certain topics previously removed from O-level, like chemistry’s Mole concept, will be added back to support students’ academic progression to university. Plans are also in place to train A-level teachers on implementing the new curriculum.

Education Minister Janet Museveni recently briefed Cabinet on these changes. ICT Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi noted that the curriculum shift aligns with experiential learning rather than traditional test-based teaching, to prepare students for real-world application.

Dr. Denis Mugimba, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, explained that financial limitations led to the transitional curriculum decision, with an estimated cost of Shs 7 billion focused primarily on teacher training.

He emphasized that this approach would maintain continuity for students moving from the new O-level curriculum, ensuring their learning style and methodology remain consistent.

The government’s earlier plan for a new A-level curriculum, initially scheduled for 2025, was put on hold due to resource constraints.

Mrs. Museveni, recognizing these limitations, stated that the existing curriculum could adequately support students’ needs without risking their academic grounding.