Title: Teacher perceptions of the knowledge-competency balance in Uganda's Lower Secondary Curriculum
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Akampurira Sarah, Nabaasa Desire
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
Pages: 167-176
Publication Date: 2026/06/28
Abstract:
This study investigated teacher perceptions of the knowledge-competency balance embedded in Uganda's Lower Secondary Curriculum (LSC), with particular attention to how content mastery and applied competency development were reconciled in day-to-day classroom practice. Guided by a quantitative cross-sectional design, the study was anchored on a structural model linking curriculum training adequacy, instructional resource availability, and assessment alignment to teachers' overall perception of balance between knowledge transmission and competency-based outcomes. Data were collected from a sample of secondary school teachers drawn from public and private institutions implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire whose psychometric properties were verified through reliability and validity testing. Univariate analysis established the central tendency and dispersion of perception scores across curriculum dimensions, bivariate analysis examined associations between teacher characteristics and perception outcomes, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to test the hypothesized relationships among training adequacy, resource adequacy, assessment alignment, and balance perception. Findings revealed that teachers perceived a persistent skew toward knowledge acquisition relative to competency application, with curriculum balance and resource adequacy emerging as the weakest-rated dimensions. The structural model demonstrated that training adequacy and assessment alignment were significant positive predictors of balance perception, while resource constraints exerted a significant negative influence. Teaching experience moderated perception patterns, with more experienced teachers reporting comparatively stronger competency emphasis than early-career counterparts. The study concluded that the practical realisation of competency-based ideals in Uganda's lower secondary classrooms remained constrained by uneven training, inadequate instructional resources, and assessment systems still oriented toward content recall. Recommendations included intensifying continuous professional development on competency-based pedagogy, strengthening resource provisioning at school level, and realigning assessment frameworks to authentically capture competency attainment alongside knowledge mastery.