“In many schools, assessment is still done in the old curriculum, because parents who were not sensitized about the new curriculum, expect a report card at every end of term, contrary to what the new system suggests of a set of examinations to be conducted once at the end of the year,” Mubangizi said.
Teachers in several schools in Mukono have expressed support to the government policy banning beginning of term examinations, and concurred that the examinations do not tally with the hands-on curriculum.
The Deputy Head teacher in charge of Academics at Nile High School Ddandira-Mukono, Mubangizi David Mpiirwe likened the system to outright coaching, saying it also denies learners their hard-earned opportunity to relax their minds away from books.
Besides infringing on the learners’ period designed to offer them relaxation, it counteracts the new curriculum requirement for examinations to be held once a year, Mubangizi noted.
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He lamented that although the government was looking at continuous assessment of learners’ performance with overall examinations coming at the end of the year, the banned system remains intact in many schools.
He blamed this on gaping loopholes for enforcement and implementation of the new curriculum, in addition to lack of adequate training by many teachers and parents as well.
“In many schools, assessment is still done in the old curriculum, because parents who were not sensitized about the new curriculum, expect a report card at every end of term, contrary to what the new system suggests of a set of examinations to be conducted once at the end of the year,” Mubangizi said.
He also observed that by maintaining the beginning of term examinations setting, the implication is that even during holidays, when the learners are supposed to be relaxing, they are pinned in books, making the rest period ineffective and meaningless.
The headteacher of St. Johns Senior Secondary School located at Namuyenje village in Nakisunga sub-county, Mukono districts, Henry Ssali Ssentongo said that as a school, they abide by the ministry’s policy of no-beginning-of-term examinations, and noted that instead, they ensure continuous monitoring of learners’ achievements and adequately guiding them without necessarily engaging them in examinations.
Ssentongo said the school has an operational mode of planning in accordance with the new curriculum requirement of stressing hands-on work as a means of ensuring that they train job makers and not job seekers.
He however suggested that intensive efforts should be made to engage parents to get concerned over their children’s performance in the hands-on system.
He was backed by the Director for St. Stephens Senior Secondary School in Ddandira Cell, Mukono Municipality, Daniel Zzimbe also noted that beginning-of-term examinations are not necessary as they are a setup of the old curriculum with no place in the new one.
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