The government plans to merge the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) into a single institution under reforms proposed in the forthcoming Curriculum, Assessment and Admissions Bill.
The proposed merger, which is among the key changes contained in the new legislation, is aimed at improving coordination between curriculum development and assessment, reducing duplication of functions and cutting administrative costs within the education sector.
According to Brighton Barugahare, the Commissioner for Policy Analysis and Research at the Ministry of Education and Sports, the reform is part of the efforts by the government to improve efficiency in public institutions and address fragmented decision-making.
Barugahare said the move will not abolish the core functions currently undertaken by UNEB and NCDC. Instead, the two mandates will be brought under one institution with separate directorates responsible for curriculum development and assessment.
“These are complementary functions and bringing them under one institution will improve coordination and reduce fragmentation in planning and decision-making,” Barugahare said.
Currently, NCDC is responsible for developing, reviewing and designing Uganda’s curriculum, including teaching, learning and assessment frameworks, while UNEB is mandated to conduct national examinations and certify learners at the end of various education cycles.
Education officials say the two institutions already work closely together and share several governance structures. The Ministry of Education and Sports is represented in both entities, while officials from the two agencies often participate in each other’s boards and technical processes.
Barugahare argued that maintaining the institutions separately has increasingly become difficult to justify given the close relationship between curriculum development and assessment.
He noted that in many countries around the world, curriculum development and assessment functions are managed under a single institution to ensure consistency between what learners are taught and how they are evaluated.
The commissioner said Uganda’s ongoing implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has further strengthened the argument for integration because assessment is no longer viewed as a one-off activity conducted through final examinations.
Under the Competency-Based Curriculum, learners are assessed continuously throughout the teaching and learning process, with teachers playing a central role in evaluating knowledge, skills, values and competencies acquired by students.
“Assessment is no longer only about what happens at the end of the cycle. Schools conduct continuous assessment on a daily basis and these processes require coherent guidance linked directly to curriculum development,” Barugahare explained.
He added that because assessment is now embedded in day-to-day learning, it requires direct alignment with curriculum design, teacher guidance and classroom practice.
The proposal mirrors recommendations contained in the report of the Education Policy Review Commission chaired by former Prime Minister Amanya Mushega.
The commission recommended the establishment of a National Curriculum and Assessment Authority through the consolidation of curriculum and assessment bodies operating under both basic and advanced education.
“The Commission notes that NCDC, UNEB and other assessment bodies under the Basic and Advanced levels should be merged under one body with respective directorates to develop curriculum and assessment frameworks for both the academic and skills tracks,” the report states.
The recommendation forms part of broader proposals intended to strengthen Uganda’s education system improve learning outcomes and ensure that assessment methods are aligned with the country’s curriculum objectives.
Although the commission’s report is yet to be adopted through a government White Paper, officials say discussions on integrating UNEB and NCDC had already started before the report was released, suggesting that the idea has been under consideration for some time.
The name of the proposed institution and its final governance structure has not yet been made public. However, information obtained by this publication indicates that both UNEB and NCDC have previously expressed reservations about the merger.
The concerns reportedly centre on preserving the autonomy of the two institutions, protecting their mandates and ensuring that critical functions are not weakened during the transition process.
The proposed merger is expected to generate debate among education stakeholders, particularly as Uganda continues implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum at lower secondary level and prepares for its expansion across other levels of the education system.
After approval by Parliament, the Curriculum, Assessment and Admissions Bill will provide the legal framework for the creation of the new institution, bringing curriculum development, assessment and related functions under a single authority while retaining specialized directorates to oversee each mandate.
