NCDC urged to provide schools with training on new A’Level curriculum

28 March 2025, 1:18 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) recently released the new A’Level curriculum, which will be fully implemented. Speaking to journalists, the Deputy Headteacher of St. Mary’s High School Gayaza, Wakiso district, Mr Semyalo Peter, explained how the new A’Level curriculum is being applied at their school.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parents for entrusting us with their children, especially with this new curriculum. The new curriculum for senior five learners is not very different from the O’Level curriculum, as the main difference lies in how we teach and assess students. The rest has remained unchanged,” he said.

Semyalo continued by acknowledging that although the NCDC has introduced new topics in a few subjects, most of the content remains the same, and it is up to teachers to provide students with the best education according to NCDC guidelines. “We appreciate NCDC’s efforts to improve our education system because this is the way forward. However, we face some challenges in implementing it. When NCDC and the Ministry of Education and Sports introduced the O’Level curriculum, we received detailed guidelines, including teaching methods and assessment approaches,” he explained.

The Deputy Headteacher added that, unfortunately, this time, the guidelines provided were not as comprehensive. “This time, we were only given guidelines, but not the content or teaching methods. It is up to schools like St. Mary’s High School Gayaza to find ways to teach in accordance with what NCDC has released. We are fortunate to have teachers who underwent training for the O’Level curriculum, but not for A’Level. Some of our colleagues, however, did not have that opportunity. We therefore appeal to NCDC to address this issue for the benefit of our students and the education system,” he said.

Regarding the 2024 UACE results, the school performed well, according to the Deputy Headteacher. “In UACE, we performed very well, and we thank God for that. Four of our students scored 20 points, and the rest achieved the required principal passes to continue with their studies. On that note, I would like to request parents to entrust their children to us, as we have the capacity to help them succeed in their educational careers. We have a well-stocked library, a laboratory, professional staff, and our fees are affordable as we accept instalments,” he said.

Additionally, the aspiring Mayor for Nansana division, Ssali Isaac Keith, urged school heads to be patient with parents, given the challenging economic situation. Similarly, the NRM’s aspiring Lord Mayor for Kampala City, Mr Mayambala Yosam, appealed to the government to support seed schools, especially those in rural areas.