By Frank Kamuntu
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has invited the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, to brief the House about the grading system for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results under the new lower secondary education curriculum.
Promoted as a competence-based curriculum, the new arrangement was rolled out in February 2020, with the pioneer learners sitting their UCE exams in October and November 2024. The results, released on Tuesday, featured a grading system introduced by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) that left many parents confused rather than celebratory.
The matter concerning the anxiety caused by the grading system was raised by Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu. In response, the State Minister for Primary Education, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, provided an explanation that Parliament found inadequate, prompting a ruling that the Minister of Education be given special time to address the issue next week.
“We are the ones who approved that curriculum here. All we want is to understand. I know a new idea is always not accepted easily, but what we need is to understand the process so we can explain it to the people outside there. Hon. Minister, we are going to give you time to come back and explain. We are the ones who can go and explain to our voters outside there,” ruled Among.
MP Ssewungu told Parliament that the results have left parents, students, and teachers with more questions than answers due to UNEB’s decision to abandon the traditional grading of students by Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, and U.
“It is very important that the new curriculum is supported, and we had issues here when it was approved. The biggest challenge is parents not knowing how to interpret the results. We are seeing everybody got Result 1,” said Ssewungu.
As a long-serving member of the Committee on Education and Sports, Ssewungu also raised concerns about the fate of students set to join Senior Five next month, as there is no updated curriculum for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). For the past four years, students have been taught under a completely different system, while the UACE curriculum has yet to be aligned with the new lower secondary curriculum.
“With the new curriculum and the results, we need to know why we have not seen the new curriculum for ‘A’ level. What are the students going to study in S.5? We have not seen the books; the Ministry is quiet, and the NCDC is quiet,” Ssewungu queried.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi also weighed in on the issue, revealing that parents and teachers have been calling on Parliament to intervene in simplifying the grading system. He suggested that the Ministry organize seminars at the school level to help parents and teachers better understand the new system.
“I am hoping that the Minister sees the predicament we are grappling with now because, as legislators, we are getting calls from parents and students. Something that should have been done already, can you bring the parents, teachers, and students on board to know what is happening? I should not be the one calling a teacher to make me understand; this means you have not done much in four years,” Ssenyonyi remarked.
In her brief remarks, Minister Kaducu informed the House that UNEB assesses students at a level of 80 percent, while 20 percent of the marks for each subject are submitted by schools based on progressive assessment.
In their release statement, UNEB explained that learners were graded using letters: A, B, C, D, and E, with results scored as 1, 2, or 3. Result 1 indicates students who qualify to be awarded a certificate of completion of S.4, Result 2 represents students who did not complete all required subjects and project work, and Result 3 refers to those who registered but did not show up for examinations.
According to UNEB, Grade A signifies exceptional performance, where a student demonstrates extraordinary competency by applying acquired knowledge and skills innovatively and creatively in real-life situations.
Grade B reflects outstanding performance, showcasing a high level of competency in applying knowledge and skills in real-life scenarios. Grade C indicates satisfactory performance, demonstrating adequate competency, while Grade D represents basic performance with a minimum level of competency. Lastly, Grade E reflects elementary performance, where the student demonstrates below-basic competency.
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