Universities will have to ensure that half (50%) of the students’ final grades are derived from continuous assessments under the new competence-based standards to be rolled out by the National Council For Higher Education.
The standards will also require two mandatory internships and a compulsory project before graduation.
Continuous assessment must now count for a minimum of 50 percent of a student’s final grade, up from an average of 30 to 40 percent currently.
The reforms are intended to shift university education away from an examination-dominated system towards continuous, practical and learner-centred training that equips graduates with skills relevant to the workplace.
Dr David Musiimaami, the Head of Standards, Recognition and Equating of Qualifications at Council, said the goal is to move most grading into the teaching and learning process itself, rather than set-piece exams.
“Assessment does not necessarily have to come out of an examination. Institutions shall integrate a variety of innovative assessment methods within their assessment criteria, such as tests, practicals, case studies, presentations, projects, and simulations,” he said.
What some institutions currently call continuous assessment is, in practice, often little different from the mid-term tests given in primary and secondary schools.
Assessment does not necessarily have to come out of an examination. Institutions shall integrate a variety of innovative assessment methods within their assessment criteria, such as tests, practicals, case studies, presentations, projects, and simulations,” he said.
Under the new standards, continuous assessment (CA) must account for at least 50 percent of a student’s final grade, up from the 30 to 40 percent commonly used by many institutions. Musiimaami said the 50 percent is a minimum requirement and universities may allocate a higher proportion to continuous assessment depending on the nature of their programmes. “For us, we set the minimum standards, but it is not cast in stone.
They can adjust accordingly,” he said. The new approach requires universities to align assessment with the specific competencies and skills their programmes are designed to develop.
Assessment is expected to be continuous, authentic and performance-oriented rather than simply a series of tests administered during the semester. NCHE also plans to strengthen supervision of continuous assessment to prevent institutions from inflating marks or awarding grades that do not accurately reflect students’ abilities.
“The council will put in place robust oversight mechanisms to verify that the marks universities award under continuous assessment genuinely reflect what students have learned, rather than being inflated or handed out loosely to boost pass rates,” Musiimaami said.
The reforms are part of a wider shift towards competence-based education across Uganda’s education system. In some practical and technical programmes at lower levels, hands-on assessment accounts for as much as 70 percent. At lower secondary level, however, continuous assessment currently contributes 20 percent of the final grade.
The National Curriculum Development Centre had recommended a higher weighting, but the proportion was reduced amid concerns about the ability to maintain assessment integrity in an education system long dominated by examinations. The reforms will also require universities to change how they teach. Musiimaami said many institutions still rely heavily on the traditional lecture model, where the lecturer dominates the classroom, rather than actively engaging students in the learning process.
Under the new standards, lecturers will increasingly act as facilitators, guiding students as they develop and demonstrate competencies. “Methods should be learner-centred, so that the lecturer will just be there to facilitate learners, guide and the like,” he said.
NCHE expects institutions to incorporate active learning approaches such as problem-based learning, project-based learning, case studies and simulations. These methods may be delivered through face-to-face, blended and online learning, as well as demonstrations and guided discussions. Dr Vincent Ssembatya, Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation at NCHE, said class sizes would also have to be managed in a way that gives students adequate interaction with facilitators.
He cautioned, however, that the requirement should not be interpreted as a deliberate cap on university admissions, noting that Uganda’s gross enrolment in higher education remains low at about six percent, compared with an African average of about 16 percent.
The reforms will also change how universities measure the amount of learning required for students to earn academic credits. Instead of focusing mainly on contact hours spent in classrooms, NCHE is introducing a “notional hours” approach that recognises learning undertaken outside formal lectures.
The new credit system takes into account scheduled teaching, including lectures, tutorials and practicals; guided independent study such as reading, research and laboratory work; and time spent completing assessments. The approach is intended to recognise the full amount of effort required for students to achieve the competencies expected of them. Students will also be required to complete two internships and a compulsory project before graduation under the new standards.
The first internship will take place after the second year and must last at least eight weeks. A second internship, to be undertaken towards the end of the programme, must last at least 15 weeks. This represents a significant increase from the single internship required by most university programmes.
Ssembatya said the longer and more frequent workplace placements are intended to give students greater exposure to real-world working environments and strengthen the link between university training and employment.
He said some universities, including Victoria University, have proposed even longer internships to make their programmes more responsive to industry and workplace needs. The internship requirements, together with continuous practical assessment and compulsory projects, form part of NCHE’s broader push to ensure that university graduates leave higher education with demonstrable skills and competencies, rather than academic qualifications alone-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
