Curriculum shifts and the teaching of history in Uganda:
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Date
2019-11
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Publisher
Kampala International University, College of Education, Open and Distance Learning
Abstract
This study investigated curriculum shifts and the teaching of history in secondary schools in
Uganda using Mbarara district as a case study. Despite the so many decades of western
education in Uganda and the periodic shifts in Uganda’s secondary school curriculum [at
least in theory after every five years], questions continue to persist about the relevance of the
content taught. The increasing number of the jobless youths could be a reflection of the
students not acquiring the skills, knowledge and competences needed for the world of work.
The study sought to achieve the following objectives: to examine the aims and objectives of
teaching history in secondary schools in Uganda; to determine the need for curriculum shift
for history teaching in secondary schools in Uganda; and to find out the effects of curriculum
shifts on the teaching of history in secondary schools in Uganda. The study adopted a
qualitative approach using a cross-sectional survey design. Systematic and purposive
sampling techniques were also used in this study. A sample of 125 respondents was selected
for the study. The respondents included district education officers, head-teachers, deputy
head-teachers and directors of studies. Others were the history teachers and history students.
The data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and observations for
primary data and the review of related literature for secondary data. Data was qualitatively
analyzed, that is, by narrative analysis and content analysis. This involved a
phenomenological approach of the deep understanding of the views and experiences of the
participants, description, interpretation and narration of the emerging issues out of which
authentic conclusions were made and quoting extensively in verbatim. The study established
that the aims and objectives of teaching history in secondary schools in Uganda were
multifaceted ranging from local to international issues of political, governance, economic,
technological and socio-cultural values. The study revealed that there are several areas of
concern which are social, cultural, technological, economic and political which justify the
need for curriculum shift for history teaching in secondary schools in Uganda. The study
revealed that there were both positive and negative effects of curriculum shifts on the
teaching of history also termed as social, cultural, technological, economic and political.
Curriculum shift was found to unlock the good ideas about how to improve teaching and
learning in order to achieve the aims of education. The study concludes that the aims and
objectives of teaching history in secondary schools in Uganda remain largely redundant or
buried even when the papers of history taught explicitly show this. The study concludes that
curriculum shift for history teaching in secondary schools in Uganda requires a multifaceted
approach involving stake holders such as experts in curriculum planning, teachers, students,
government, parents and donors to ease the implementation phase. The study further
concludes that the effects of curriculum shift on the teaching of history in secondary schools
in Uganda remain blurred and obscured since the content taught has differed little from the
colonial days to the present. The study recommends that curriculum planners have to ensure
that the pedagogies and methods employed by history teachers reflect the aims and objectives
of teaching history. The study recommends that curriculum reforms should put all stake
holders such as experts in curriculum planning, teachers, students, government, parents and
donors on board in order to critically determine where the need lies. The study also
recommends that regular forums should be established at the school, district, regional and
national levels to assess how shifts in curriculum affect the teaching of history
Description
A dissertation submitted to the college of education, open, distance and learning in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of arts in history of Kampala International University
Keywords
Curriculum shifts, Teaching of history, Uganda