According to the stakeholders the current examination system hardly asses the real worth and intelligence of the candidate.
Dan Odongo Nokrach, Executive Secretary Uganda National Examination Board says there is need to overhaul the existing examination system because it only focuses on passing of national examinations.
Speaking at the meeting, Grace Baguma, Director National Curriculum Development Centre( NCDC), said that the current system only encourages cramming instead of equipping children with life skills.
The stake holders who are currently attending a two day symposium in Kampala , aimed at kick starting the process to reform education system are ; Uganda National Examinations Board, Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UNEB), National Curriculum Development Centre( NCDC), Directorate of Education Standard (DES), Teachers Instructors Education and Training (TIET), Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda National Teachers' Union, District Inspector of Schools and Directorate of Industrial Training.
By the end of the symposium, the stakeholders are expected to come up with steps towards reform of the assessment and examination system in the next five years.
According to Nockrach, assessments are supposed to indicate how well school going children are learning at school. "They are supposed to be used by teachers to determine a child's weak and strong area and guide them in addressing this."
Reg Allen, Director Curriculum Assessment and Certification Systems Architect (CACSA) Australia, while delivering the Keynote address at the symposium urged stake holders to change the current assessment and examination system because it does not equip school going children with the necessary skills sought after by employees.
"The current assessment and examination system in Uganda is a mismatch between what employees want and seek to what is assessed at the end of the day. Children are taught facts that they will never use at the work place instead of learning important skills."
The symposium was opened by the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni. In her address, The First Lady asked stakeholders present to develop steps that will be undertaken to transform the country's education system from an examination based one to a skill development education.
Uganda has three main national examinations that mark the end of one stage of education and enable the beginning of another stage for successful candidates. These examinations include; Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) done at the end of primary school, Uganda Certificate of Examination (UCE) sat for at the end of O' Level and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Examination (UACE) that are sat at the end of A' Level.
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