CONTRIBUTORS
Lydia Namatende-Sakwa
Associate Research Scientist
Davis Muli Musyoki
Communications Officer
Introduction
The implementation of Uganda’s competence-based curriculum (CBC) at the lower secondary level reveals a paradox of promise and peril. Framed as a progressive reform, the CBC emphasizes learner-centered pedagogy, 21st-century skills, and assessment for learning. Yet, as highlighted by teacher perspectives in a Kyambogo University Competitive Research Grant study—From a Knowledge to Competence-based Curriculum: Insights into Opportunities and Threats to Implementation in Uganda—these benefits are unevenly realized across schools, raising critical concerns about curricular equity.
Importantly, Uganda’s reform is not happening in isolation. Countries across East Africa, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan, have also rolled out competence-based curricula, driven by the global call under Sustainable Development Goal 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Uganda’s case, therefore, offers not only national lessons but also insights for the region and beyond.
Curriculum Equity: A Double-Edged Sword
Equity in curriculum extends beyond the mere availability of a standardized curriculum. It encompasses equitable opportunities for both teachers and learners to access, engage with, and benefit from the intended curriculum. The findings in this study reveal a stark equity divide: some schools—typically those with more affluent populations—experience CBC as an enriching pedagogical opportunity:
“Each class is taught by two teachers. So students have more than one teacher to assist them where need arises…there is a main teacher and a co-teacher” (George, teacher of Biology, Gabula High School).
Others, primarily schools with under-resourced populations, struggle with the basic conditions necessary to implement the curriculum effectively, such as co-teaching arrangements that could address class size.
“We have lessons for 1hr: 20 minutes, so attending to all learners is difficult.” (Justine, teacher of English, Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School).
This schism raises questions about the extent to which the CBC, as currently implemented, serves to narrow or exacerbate existing educational inequalities.
Material and Structural Inequities
At the most basic level, equity is undermined by disparities in infrastructure, teaching resources, and staffing. Teachers in well-resourced schools reported access to ICTs, co-teaching arrangements, functional laboratories, and learner textbooks, all of which facilitated richer CBC implementation. Conversely, their counterparts in less affluent schools faced large classes, few (or no) teaching aids, insufficient ICT access, and dilapidated infrastructure, with some schools lacking electricity altogether. As teachers at Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School, lament:
In Senior One, we are about 90 learners, but we were given only 10 textbooks. So, you can see the challenge—sometimes five or more learners have to share one book, which makes it difficult to follow the lesson” (Sebina, teacher of Geography, Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School).
“The school had only 6 computers, which could not even serve one class of 120 students…We are supposed to have projectors…but those gadgets are not there. Power [electricity] is a problem” (Grace, teacher of History and Political Science, Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School).
“If the school does not have the necessary and well-equipped laboratory, it is very hard to deliver under the new curriculum, more so for us in the sciences” (Isacc, teacher of Physics, Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School).
These material differences translated directly into pedagogical constraints. Whereas affluent schools could support group work, formative assessment, and learner autonomy, under-resourced schools often reverted to traditional teacher-centered methods. This not only limits learners’ ability to acquire the full range of competences envisioned by the CBC but also risks reproducing the very disparities the curriculum seeks to address.
Procedural and Training Inequities
Curriculum equity is further undermined by inconsistent teacher preparation and support. The findings revealed significant gaps in training, both in quality and reach. Although the CBC presumes high levels of pedagogical creativity and digital literacy, many teachers were inadequately prepared, and some trainers themselves lacked a clear understanding of core CBC principles. These weaknesses were especially detrimental in under-resourced schools, where training and support structures are already limited. By contrast, more affluent schools were able to arrange supplementary training for their teachers, thereby deepening inequities. As one teacher observed:
“In our school, management paid for us to attend extra workshops, so we got more exposure than colleagues in government schools who only relied on the official sessions” (Leonades, teacher of Chemistry, Gabula High School).
Further, administrators—key actors in curriculum enactment—were excluded from training sessions, resulting in decisions that contradicted CBC principles, such as enforcing extensive content coverage or retaining summative exams. Indeed, as Mastula explained:
“They were not trained. So, their mindsets are based on the old curriculum. They want a lot of coverage of work in the learners’ books” (Mastula, teacher of Chemistry, Matiya Mulumba Memorial Secondary School).
These oversights highlight the systemic neglect of contextual realities in curriculum policy implementation.
Pedagogical Equity and Student Engagement
Despite these challenges, the CBC has shown potential to support pedagogical equity through active learning, generic skills development, and student participation. Teachers shared examples of increased student engagement—especially among previously disengaged learners, including boys and quieter students—through hands-on learning and activities like gender-based debates. When implemented effectively, the CBC provides opportunities for all learners, regardless of their academic standing, to experience success and demonstrate progress. As one teacher affirmed:
“It [the new curriculum] emphasizes learning outcomes for example, development of the critical thinking skills, logical reasoning, research writing, and problem solving” (Lulu, teacher of Geography, Gabula High School).
However, these benefits are unequally distributed. Learners in under-resourced schools encounter a more diluted version of the CBC, characterized by fewer materials, less feedback, and limited exposure to ICTs. The result is a stratified curriculum experience, where a student’s socioeconomic context continues to shape their access to quality learning. These contrasts illustrate how pedagogy itself becomes inequitable when resources are scarce.
Towards a More Equitable CBC
This commentary calls for a shift in CBC implementation from uniform policy rollout to differentiated support models. Policy actors must acknowledge that equitable curriculum delivery requires unequal resource distribution—more directed funding, infrastructure, and capacity-building support for disadvantaged schools. Specific interventions may include:
- Targeted subsidies for textbook procurement, teaching aids, and ICT equipment in under-resourced schools.
- Teacher incentives in the form of salary enhancements, reduced teaching loads, and co-teaching models for large classes.
- Customized training for administrators and older teachers to bridge the digital divide and shift mindsets toward learner-centered practices.
- Student and parent orientation on CBC concepts and assessment models to foster broader buy-in.
Additionally, curriculum developers must revisit the assessment framework. The current model, where formative assessments account for only 20% of the final grade, undervalues the CBC’s emphasis on practical learning. Revising the assessment weightings and providing clear guidelines can ensure a more balanced, motivational, and inclusive assessment culture. Without urgent action, Uganda risks creating a two-track system—one where elite schools produce globally competitive graduates, while under-resourced schools struggle to cover basics. Addressing equity now is not optional; it is the only way to safeguard the legitimacy of the CBC reform.
Final Reflection
Equity is not a peripheral concern—it is the very litmus test of curriculum success. Uganda’s CBC reform must be evaluated not only by its pedagogical ambitions and policy coherence, but also by its ability to reach every learner and every teacher in every school. As a recent study makes it clear, a curriculum that works well only for the privileged few is not a successful curriculum. Instead, the real measure of CBC’s impact will lie in how it transforms the learning trajectories of those who have been historically excluded from meaningful educational opportunities.
Ensuring that no learner is left behind requires deliberate, equity-focused strategies that acknowledge the diverse realities of Uganda’s schools. If Uganda can get this balance right, it has the chance to become a model for equitable curriculum reform across Africa. Equity is not charity; it is justice. It is the engine of reform, not its byproduct. Only then can the CBC fulfil its transformative promise—not as a policy on paper, but as a lived reality in every classroom across the country.
This blog was also co-authored by James Isingoma Bigabwa, a lecturer in the Curriculum Department at Muni University, Uganda.