Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda

Symposium dates: 4 – 6 November 2026

Theme: Navigating Competency‑Based Curriculum Implementation in East Africa: Insights Across Education Levels

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The East African Teacher Education Symposium (EATES 2026) invites proposals for contributions to a regional and international forum exploring how Competency‑Based Curriculum (CBC) reforms are being interpreted and enacted across primary, secondary, and tertiary education in East Africa. Through empirical studies, conceptual reflections, and practice‑based experiences, we seek to deepen understanding of the dynamics shaping CBC implementation in different educational settings. While the symposium has a particular focus on CBC implementation, we also welcome scholarly and practice‑based contributions on other topics that investigate teaching, learning, assessment, curriculum design, or institutional practices from any level of the education system in East African contexts. The symposium aims to highlight the diversity of initiatives, responses, innovations, and challenges emerging from the CBC implementation across contexts.

 Thematic areas and Topics

The thematic areas below indicate the main focus of the symposium; however, proposals addressing other aspects of teacher education and educational development relevant to East African contexts are also encouraged.
Below are five core thematic areas, with subtopics tailored to East African sociocultural, linguistic, infrastructural, and policy contexts, including Uganda‑specific and regional comparative perspectives.

  1. CBC in Practice Across Education Levels
  • Classroom enactment of CBC in resource‑constrained environments, including rural–urban differences
  • Multilingual realities, translanguaging, and the role of language‑of‑instruction policies
  • Curriculum adaptation processes in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and South Sudan
  • Comparative studies within Uganda or across East African countries
  • CBC implementation viewed in relation to global curriculum trends

 

  1. Assessment in CBC Frameworks
  • Context‑relevant approaches to assessing competencies, skills, and authentic performance
  • Challenges in preparing and moderating school‑based continuous assessments
  • Tensions between national examination systems and CBC principles
  • Experiences with continuous assessment reforms in East African contexts
  • Regional and global comparisons of competency‑based assessment
  1. Teaching, Learning, and Pedagogy
  • Active learning and skills‑based pedagogies in contexts with large class sizes, and or limited resources
  • Integration of digital tools and mobile technologies where connectivity varies
  • Culturally responsive competence‑based pedagogies grounded in local knowledge traditions
  • Adaptation of CBC principles in teacher education programmes
  • Lessons and comparisons with pedagogical shifts in other CBC‑implementing countries
  1. Policy, Leadership, and Institutional Development
  • National and regional policy frameworks shaping CBC adoption (e.g., NCDC, UNEB, KICD, REB, TIE)
  • Leadership strategies supporting CBC implementation in schools, colleges, and universities
  • Institutional capacity development: materials, staffing, funding, partnerships
  • Regional comparisons of CBC policy approaches within East Africa
  • Global policy learning and transfer related to CBC reforms
  1. Professional Learning and Development
  • Pre‑service and in‑service professional learning tailored to East African teaching contexts
  • Teacher networks, communities of practice, and local/regional professional learning collaborations
  • Shifts in teacher identity and professional expectations under CBC
  • Professional development innovations shaped by infrastructural constraints
  • International collaborations supporting CBC‑oriented teacher learning

Proposal Types

The symposium welcomes the following presentation formats:

  • Research Papers
  • Practice‑Based Presentations
  • Poster Presentations

Submission Process

All proposals must be submitted through the online submission form:
https://skjemaker.app.uib.no/view.php?id=20781243

All submission requirements — including presentation type, title, abstract, and contributor information — are specified in the form.

Submission deadline: 30 June 2026

Who May Submit?

We welcome proposals from:

  • Educators and practitioners in primary, secondary, and tertiary education
  • Researchers and teacher educators
  • School leaders, curriculum developers, and policymakers
  • Master’s and doctoral students
  • NGOs and organisations engaged in curriculum reform
  • International collaborators interested in CBC developments in East Africa

Contact

For any inquiries or additional information regarding the EATES 2026 event, please feel free to reach out to the chair of the organising committee, Dr James Isabirye. You can contact him via email at jmisabirye@kyu.ac.ug

 

 

 

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