The Uganda National Examinations Board, UNEB, has officially released the 2024 Uganda Certificate of Education, UCE results. This year’s results are special because they mark the beginning of a new era in Uganda’s education system. The students for the first time came out to be examined in a new curriculum that focuses on skills and practical knowledge, popularly referred to as the competency-based curriculum. Other students were also examined under the old curriculum, making 2024 a very peculiar year in Uganda’s education sector.

The chairperson of UNEB, Professor Celestino Obua, announced that 2024 had been a busy and challenging year for the board while announcing the results. He added that UNEB had to manage two different sets of examinations: one based on the old curriculum and another based on a new competency-based approach. The old curriculum exams went off well, but it was a completely new experience for everyone with new curriculum exams. Professor Obua confessed that there were certain difficulties; he, however, assured the public that the same exams were well completed.

The new competency-based curriculum is designed to help students think critically, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in real-life situations. This is a big change from the old system, which focused more on memorizing facts. Professor Obua said that some students found it hard to adjust to the new style of questions, which required them to think deeply and apply what they had learned. He optimistically believes, however, that once the teachers get used to the new system, then performance will improve in coming years.

On results, mathematics, English, and the sciences subjects registered slight improvements compared to previous years, while humanities subjects like History and Geography remained the same with no major changes. This shows that though there is some progress in some areas, work is still underway to adapt fully into the new curriculum.

One of the greatest tests of the implementation of the new curriculum has come from the resistance by the public. Many people were skeptical whether UNEB was ready for the switch. Besides, not all schools were ready to offer the new curriculum in the first place due to a lack of appropriate resources. For instance, the new system requires more activity-based learning, but not all schools were prepared in terms of tools and materials. Professor Obua expressed these challenges and said that UNEB is working with the Ministry of Education to provide more training for teachers and better resources for schools.

Looking ahead, UNEB has promised to improve support for schools, teachers, and students. Plans are already in place to expand teacher training programs, improve the way exams are designed, and provide schools with the materials they need to teach the new curriculum effectively. He further appealed to parents and guardians to be supportive of the changes within the education system. He said the new curriculum was tailor-made in a manner that would ensure that graduates go out into the real world with problem-solving abilities. He said everybody has a role to play in making this new system succeed.

The 2024 UCE results have been made available on the UNEB portal, and students can also access their results via SMS. This makes the retrieval of results for candidates very easy and timely. With the release of these results, Uganda’s education system is taking a big step forward. The emphasis is no longer just on passing exams but rather equipping students with life skills.

This is the major transformation of moving to a competency-based curriculum, and it will take time until everybody settles. But with the right support and collaboration by teachers, parents, and policymakers, the education system in Uganda can produce a generation of innovative and skilled learners. The success of this new approach now depends on how well different stakeholders rise up to address these challenges and build a brighter future for Uganda’s students.