Kampala, Uganda: Senior Educationist and Victoria University vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Lawrence Muganga, has defended Uganda’s shift to Competency-Based Education (CBE), arguing that what many perceive as “poor performance” in national examinations reflects a change in what is being measured, not a decline in learning.
Speaking on NTV Uganda during a morning show, Dr Muganga commended government and the Ministry of Education and Sports for investing in competency-based reforms, describing CBE as “one of the best things the education sector has ever introduced” if properly implemented.
“I would not be too worried about what people call poor performance,” Muganga said. “We need to ask ourselves, what were we measuring in the first place?”
For decades, Muganga noted, Uganda’s assessment system largely rewarded recall and memorisation, with learners judged on how well they reproduced what teachers delivered in class.
That model, he said, is gradually changing. “At O Level, about 20 per cent of the examination already reflects this shift, and even at primary level, assessment is changing,” he explained. “It is no longer so much about recalling, remembering and cramming.”
According to Muganga, the transition to CBE is slowly levelling the playing field by reducing the advantage previously held by learners who excelled mainly at memorisation.
What Competency-Based Education Means
Under a fully implemented CBE model, Muganga says, education focuses on what learners can do with what they know, not just what they can remember.
“It is no longer about what you can recall, but what you can do with what you know,” he said. “A learner may score 60 per cent, but that learner can still be a problem solver. That is meaningful education.”
He described CBE as a holistic approach, nurturing learners’ hands, hearts and heads; skills, values and knowledge, rather than narrow exam performance.
Muganga also argued that CBE offers a more inclusive framework, particularly for learners with disabilities or different learning speeds.
Under traditional systems, time was fixed and learners were expected to complete assessments within rigid timelines, often disadvantaging those who needed more time or support.
“CBE allows learners to learn at their own pace, master the competencies they are expected to achieve, and then move forward,” he said. “What remains constant is the competency, not the time.”
Questioning the national anxiety that often surrounds exam releases, Muganga challenged society’s fixation on results, especially at primary level. “The release of examination results is not news. It should be normal,” he said. “Yet we become overly excited about a national exam for a 12- or 13-year-old, while at the same time worrying that they might fail.”
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