Secondary Education in Uganda spans from S1 to S6. It is one of the options for forward progression under
Uganda's education system. Secondary education is divided into two cycles:
- The Lower Secondary Education cycle referred to as Ordinary level that leads to the award of the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE). This cycle lasts a period of four academic years. The curriculum menu at this level is in form of subjects and a learner is expected to offer a minimum of 8 subjects and a maximum of 10.
- The Higher Secondary Education cycle referred to as Advanced Secondary level of education that leads to the award of the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). This takes a period of two academic years to complete. The curriculum is offered as a set of specialised subject combinations. A learner offers a combination of three Principal subjects and two subsidiary subjects.
Objectives of Secondary Education
- Instilling and promoting national unity and an understanding of social and civic responsibilities; strong love and care for others and respect for public property, as well as an appreciation of international relations and beneficial international co-operation.
- Promoting an appreciation and understanding of the cultural heritage of Uganda including its languages.
- Imparting and promoting a sense of self-discipline, ethical and spiritual values, personal and collective responsibility and initiative.
- Enabling individuals to acquire and develop knowledge and an understanding of emerging needs of society and the economy.
- Providing up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge in theoretical and practical aspects of innovative production, modern management methods in the field of commerce and industry and their application in the context of socio-economic development of Uganda.
- Enabling individuals to develop basic scientific, technological, technical, agricultural and commercial skills required for self-employment.
- Enabling individuals to develop personal skills of problem-solving, information gathering and interpretation, independent reading and writing, self-improvement through learning and development of social, physical and leadership skills such as are obtained through games, sports, societies and clubs.
- Laying the foundation for further education.
- Enabling the individual to apply acquired skills in solving problems of the community and to develop in him/her a strong sense of constructive and beneficial belonging to that community.
- Instilling positive attitudes towards productive work and strong respect for the dignity of labour and those who engage in productive labour activities.