Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Ministry of Education and Sports is planning to merge the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) into a single institution.
The proposed merger is among the key reforms contained in the forthcoming Curriculum, Assessment and Admissions Bill, one of the education sector laws recently highlighted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as being in the government’s legislative pipeline.
According to Brighton Barugahare, Commissioner in charge of policy analysis and research at the Ministry of Education and Sports, the merger is as part of wider reforms aimed at improving efficiency, reducing costs in government entities. Barugahare added that the move is intended to eliminate duplication of functions and address fragmented decision-making within the education sector.
The two institutions already perform complementary roles. While NCDC is responsible for curriculum design, including teaching, learning and assessment frameworks, UNEB mainly conducts end-of-cycle national examinations.
Under the proposed arrangement, neither curriculum development nor assessment functions would be abolished. Instead, they would be placed under a single institution with separate directorates responsible for the different mandates.
According to Barugahare these are just complementary functions and bringing them under one institution will improve coordination and reduce fragmentation in planning and decision-making. He noted that the two agencies already have overlapping governance structures, including representation from the Ministry of Education and cross-membership on their respective boards.
Barugahare argued that internationally, curriculum development and assessment are often managed under the same institution. He added that Uganda’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) has further strengthened the case for integration because assessment is now embedded throughout the teaching and learning process rather than being confined to final examinations.
“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,” he explained.
The proposal echoes recommendations made by the Amanya Mushega led Education Policy Review Commission. The commission recommended the creation of a National Curriculum and Assessment Authority by merging curriculum and assessment bodies operating at both basic and advanced education levels.
“The Commission notes that R5 on the merging of all curriculum and assessment bodies applies. 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 reads in part.
Although the commission’s report is yet to be adopted through a government White Paper, discussions on merging the two institutions had already begun before the report was released.
The name and structure of the proposed institution have not yet been made public. However, our reporter has received information showing that both UNEB and NCDC have previously expressed reservations about the merger, citing concerns over institutional autonomy and mandate preservation.
The government has already adopted a similar approach in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, where curriculum development, assessment, and certification functions were consolidated under the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) and the Uganda Health Professions Assessment Board (UHPAB). The two boards develop curricula in consultation with relevant stakeholders while also conducting assessments and overseeing certification.
NCDC was established in 1973 to centralize and localize the curriculum, ensuring that learning content reflects national priorities and the country’s social and economic needs. On the other hand, UNEB was created in 1983 following the collapse of the East African Examinations Council, taking over responsibility for administering national examinations such as the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
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