10 INTRODUCTION
Uganda is a land locked country which lies across the equator in the heart of Africa covering 241139 square kilometres 17 of which is water Most of the country lies between 9002000 meters above sea level The altitude makes Uganda enjoy a generally mild tropical climate with temperatures ranging between 17 0C and 28 0C with the average rainfall of about 1500 mm pa The altitudinal variations also enable Uganda grow a wide range of subsistence and cash crops including template crops such as wheat and barely The ecological and cultural richness of Uganda makes the country a true pearl of Africa
11 Demographic Trends
Uganda’s population which is now estimated to be 244 Million has an annual growth rate of 33 and a density of 124 persons per square kilometre The population structure depicts a high dependency rate with about 49 of the population below 15 years of age Females constitute about 512 of the population according to 2002 National Population and Housing Census Life expectancy is 47 years for males and 50 year for females The infant mortality rate is 83 and the fertility is about 7 children per woman The total number of males stands at 119 million while that of females is 125 million implying that for every 95 males there are 100 females
12 Literacy Levels
The current National Literacy rate is estimated at 68 of which 76 is for males and 61 is for females The population age group 612 is estimated at 22 which is about 53 of the total population At primary level less than 711 of the children aged 615 years are enrolled in schools Of these 83 are females and 84 are males At secondary level 43 of the age group 15 years and above are enrolled in schools
13 Governance
Uganda attained independence in 1962 and in the period between 1970 and 1985 experienced political instability which led to serious economic decline During the period skilled manpower including a larger number of professional teachers fled the country while most of the infrastructure for industries health education transport and other commercial and service sectors were hardly repaired nor maintained
In 1986 National Resistance Movement (NRM) took over power and in 1987 it embarked on the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) to restore financial stability and initiate the rehabilitation of the country’s productive and social infrastructure so as to set up a base for an integrated and selfsustaining economy
To date the recovery programme measures have already made a positive impact on the economy as reflected by the upward trend of economic growth with the GDP registering a 58 growth in financial year 200405
Agriculture has been and continues to dominate the economy of Uganda In 200405 the sector accounted for 42 of GDP and employs 80 of the working population Agricultural activities are almost carried out as wholly by 25 million smallscale producers each holding an average farm size of about 2 hectares
20 OVERVIEW OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
21 Structure of the education system
211 Pre school
Outside the home education at this level is basically in the hands of private agencies and individuals Most of the nursery schools and kindergartens are in urban areas and many children enter primary school with little preparation for the intellectual tasks it requires They come from families in which parents have not either gone to school or the home environment has no exposure to reading materials or incentives to learn to read
In order to streamline the programme the Ministry of Education and Sports developed a draft Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy It has licensed and is monitoring private centres including Early Childhood Development instructional methods in the PTC curriculum The national enrolment is over 41775 pupils of the age group 25 years ranging from LowerBaby class to Top Class
212 Primary education
The primary sevenyear education provides the basic education leading to the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) Certificate in four Core Subjects which include English Mathematics Science and Social Studies There are two categories of primary schools namely private primary schools under the management of nongovernment Agencies and Government Aided schools Presently over 77 million of the primary school age going children attend primary school
The Ministry of Education and Sports controls primary and other levels of Education in Uganda It trains registers and supplies all required teachers prescribes a national curriculum and provides textbooks administrators and inspectors In addition constructs schools teachers’ houses sanitary facilities and furniture There is also an active involvement by the NGOs The community and parents have a significant role such as bricks land and labour In addition they provide scholastic materials There are 11850 Government aided and 1521 Private primary schools
Inspite of these the pace of expanding primary schools is slower than the rate of demand for basic education in primary schools and the problem is compounded by the rate of population increase Because of this the Pupil Classroom ratio is still high at 841
213 Post Primary Education
This level includes secondary and tertiary education Secondary education comprises of two levels namely four years of lower secondary education leading to the Uganda Certificate in Education (UCE) and two years of upper secondary education leading to the Uganda Advanced Certificate in Education (UACE) At present there are 1651 Government aided secondary schools and about 1898 private ones Most of the later have been built by the parents on self help basis while the rest are owned by voluntary agencies and individuals Like primary schools many secondary schools lack some of the basic facilities particularly textbooks and equipment
Transition rate to Senior 1 for girls is higher than that of their male counterparts In 2003 transition rates for boys stood at 57 and that of girls at 63 In 2004 transition rate for both boys and girls had increased to 61 for boys and 68 for girls Of those students who successfully complete O’ Level secondary education the transition rate to Senior 5 for boys is generally higher than that of girls (ie 43 for boys and 33 for girls in 2004)
Parallel to Secondary schools are technical schools which take a proportion of primary school leavers who are taught various crafts and skills for duration of three years There are 29 Grant Aided Technical schools with a rather limited enrolment of 7361 Post O’ Level and Post Technical School Vocational courses are offered at 33 Technical Institutes with a total enrolment of 7150 students for two years for all courses In addition there are also 16 Community Polytechnics which promote technical education and vocational training There is a growing number of privately owned and privately run technical and commercial institutes with varying course duration Opportunities in Vocational Education are currently limited especially because of the high cost of establishing such institutions and providing the basic facilities such as tools and workshops for the courses they offer
There are 45 primary Teacher Training Colleges for producing primary school teachers Twentytwo are NonCore while 23 are Core Most of these were developed from primary schools and have been improved through infrastructure provision and realignment of programmes
There are also Six (6) National Teachers Colleges Four (4) National Colleges of Business studies Five (5) Uganda Colleges of Commerce and Five (5) Technical colleges
214 Higher Education
Currently there are four (4) public and 27 licensed private Universities which award different degrees
Following the liberalisation of the Government Macro Policy and realising that the demand for trained professionals is growing as the social economic sector grows the government now sponsors over 4000 students each year offering different courses It is also noted that there is significant investment of the private sector including NGOs in Higher Education
A draft Strategic Plan for higher education was finalised and is intended to reform higher education curricular to address national needs maintain and sustain the quality of education at higher levels and improve management of higher education in the country
The government also enacted the University and other tertiary institutions Act 2001 to give a legal framework for management and administration of higher education Institutions in the country and give legal back up to the expansion of quality of Higher education As provided for in the Act The council is responsible for licensing Private Universities and it sets Academic and Management standards for all Universities in the country The composition of the National Council for Higher Education reflects a wide range of National interest covering various areas of development
Figure 1 The existing structure of the education system
3
2
1
UCCs
Legend
UTCs
Bus educ Business education Bus educ (priv)
3
2
1
2
1
UJTC
Cert Certificate
C Technical college
HSec Higher secondary
Training abroad
App tra employment
NCBS National College of Business Studies Tech schools Tech inst
App tra employment
NTCs National teachers’ colleges
PLE Primary leaving examinations
Priv Private
Tech Technical
TechVoc Technicalvocational
UJTC Uganda Junior Technicians’ Certificate
UCE Uganda Certificate of Education
UCE
UACE
PLE
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
University
Leavers
Primary school Gen sec(O’ level) A’ level
LEAVERS
NTCs
1
2
School leavers
PTC (GRIII)
Department training
Department training
Employment
Employment
UNIVERSITY
NTCs
DEPARTMENT TRAINING
EMPLOYMENT
SourceGovernment White Paper on Education 1992
Leavers
22 Non Formal Education
Government caters for Nonformal education largely for children who still do not access education for various reasons such as social economic and Environmental These children include over age children in pastoral areas and fishing villages and those in labour who are too old to return to school Several initiatives have been undertaken by government in collaboration with other stakeholders with a view to enable the out of school youth benefit from education through alternative education delivery modalities These include Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) Complementary Opportunities for Primary Education (COPE) Basic Education for Urban Poverty Areas (BEUPA) Childcentred Alternative Nonformal Community Based Education (CHANCE) Empowering Lifelong Skills Education in Masindi (ELSE) NonGovernment Organisations have made a tremendous contribution in this field and currently the enrolment in Nonformal programmes stands to over 20567 boys and 27248 girls in Primary Education
23 Adult Education
During the 1940s adult literacy programmes produced commendable results from the time government joined the missionaries in their educational efforts Most adults who went through baptism courses can still read and write with understanding From 1946 to 1960 the programme which was implemented through films demonstrations and drama contributed a lot to changing people’s attitudes towards good health habits From 1965 to 1978 10 of the target population became literate at an average of between 40000 and 45000 people each year This contributed greatly to the gradual reduction of illiteracy from 80 for women and 60 for men at independence to 54 and 45 respectively in 1980 However the illiteracy levels are still high in Uganda especially among women today
According to the IFAD study under the Gender strengthening Programme for Eastern and Southern Africa done in 2000 it was revealed that illiteracy in Uganda is 551 among women compared to 365 among men Usually in rural areas the gap is larger and literacy rates are lower Programmes to bridge these gaps have been introduced and they include Functional Adult Literacy (FAL)
In Uganda Functional Adult Literacy Programmes involve other useful learning besides reading writing and numeracy skills The programmes are considered as a powerful tool for empowering the people particularly if they can apply their new learning and skills properly In addition linking functional literacy training to credit helps enhance women’s control over income Today most of the people who attend these Functional Adult Literacy classes are women
Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) also empowers the population and reduces their ignorance and poverty The study by UWESO and IFAD in the district of Hoima Masindi and Kibaale shows that because of the programme women have acquired learning or skills that enable them to control pest crops how to improve sanitation and hygiene at the household level (use of rubbish pits boiling water use of latrines) the care and nutrition of children (breastfeeding a balanced diet immunization) and modern farming methods and above all it had given them self confidence
In order to promote Functional Adult Literacy in Uganda the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) which covers only 26 Districts has produced Literacy Materials in six languages and these include Luganda Luo Lunyankole Lukiga Lunyoro Lutoro Ateso and Lukonjo The Literacy Materials include Primers Instructors’ Guides to the primer and charts Some postliteracy materials have also been produced
Some NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) have been also active in the field of Functional Literacy programmes The NGOs include Actionaid National Adult Education Association Uganda Community Association for Child Welfare Uganda Joint Action for Adult Education Religious bodies and some parastatal organisations There are also some literacy programmes being carried out by the Prisons Department
Apart from Adult Literacy diverse adult education programmes and activities in Uganda are in place These contain a vital and significant educational component consisting of such elements as vocational training in various skills artistic activities including theatre and drama extramural studies community development and club activities various mass mobilisation programmes for general or specific adult groups and varied forms of extension work
30 EDUCATION SOFT WARE
Educational institutions at all levels require the inputs such as infrastructure furniture teachers Instructional materials and curriculum among others Government through its Education reforms such as introduction of UPE has increased on the demand for education soft ware both at primary and post primary level
31 Teachers
There is need to increase the supply of qualified teachers to match the increasing enrolments Government has improved the teacher payroll management and made resources available in the recurrent budget to cater for increased teachers recruitment ie the teacher wage bill
The rapid increases in the demand for basic education have also occasioned a great need in the number of teachers At the end of 1996 the primary school teaching force was only 81600 teachers the number now is 145000 teachers out of which 851 are on government payroll In 1996 only about 40 of the teachers were on payroll
In secondary education the MoES has recently carried out intensive teacher transfers This was done to enable the MoES to create a balance in the teaching force especially in the teaching of science subjects However teachers in secondary schools work under serious constraints such as lack of teaching materials In addition they have low promotion aspects which lowers their working
32 Instructional Materials
As one of the strategies to further basic education government undertook the responsibility to provide increased instructional materials These are aimed at ensuring quality and equity through improving access and usage of scholastic materials These Instructional materials in primary schools include Core text books Teacher’s guides supplementary text books and basic teachers’ professional references and pedagogic materials pupils’ basic reference books (Atlas and Dictionaries) Supplementary reading books and learning aids specifically wall charts
At National level government has integrated instructional materials supply for core textbooks in the recurrent budget In addition a proportion (35) of the UPE capitation grant is set aside for the purchase of extra instructional supplementary materials which include among others supplementary books for readers teacher reference books charts and black boards
Resources are made available through the government recurrent budget for bulk purchases of these materials Activities under this are implemented at the centre by Instructional materials Unit (IMU) but a few district are now piloting the Decentralised Instructional Materials Procurement The procurement of instructional materials has now improved the Pupil Textbook Ratio (PTR) to 31
33 Classrooms
Government is still committed to construct and furnish new facilities (ie classrooms sanitary facilities and teachers houses) provide eighteen threeseater desks to each classroom built through the School Facilities Grant (SFG) Programme The programme assists the most needy school community to build new classrooms supply furniture for the constructed classrooms and build latrines and at least 4 teachers’ houses per school All this has been done to accommodate increased enrolments by meeting the set targets Classroom Pupil ratio of 155 Desk pupil ratio of 13 Latrine Pupil ratio of 140 and at least 4 teachers’ houses per school The number of classrooms has now increased to 78403 compared to only 25676 classrooms in 1996 but the Pupil Classroom Ratio (PCR) is still high at 841
34 Planning and Management
Presently the MoES comprises of eight (8) departments namely Finance and Administration Education Planning PrePrimary and Primary Education Secondary Education Teacher Education Business Technical Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Special Needs Education Career Guidance and Counselling and Higher Education A commissioner heads each department A policy analysis unit and a resource centre were established as a result of the postConstitutional restructuring of the Ministry in 1998 At the same time three other units were approved as part of the establishment These are the Procurement Unit Construction Management Unit and the Instructional Materials Unit
In addition there are several semiautonomous institutions have been established to handle the more specialized functions of the Ministry These are
(i) Education Service Commission (ESC)
(ii) Education Standards Agency (ESA)
(iii) National Council of Sports (NCS)
(iv) National Curriculum Development Center (NCDC)
(v) Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB)
(vi) National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
(vii) Public universities (ie Makerere University Mbarara University of Science and Technology Kyambogo University and Gulu University)
(viii) Makerere University Business School and
(ix) The Uganda Management Institute
At the district level the District Education Officer (DEO) is the key official to whom the head teachers go to collect cash for salaries and school supplies hand in any reports and receive communication from the Headquarters
However under the decentralisation programme district staff operate under the control and supervision of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) The CAO is the District Accounting Officer while the District Local Council is the main budgetary unit in the district The implications of all these decisions are that the District Education Office (DEO) primarily reports to the district government and only secondary schools to the MoES
Because of decentralization most of the authority to control the affairs of individual schoolscolleges has been effectively relinquished to the head teachersPrincipals Schools Management Committees (SMCs) at primary school level and Boards of Governors at Secondary Schools and the ParentTeachers Associations (PTAs)
MoES headquarters now concentrates more on planning policy analysis curriculum and examination reform national assessment monitoring and evaluation
35 Curriculum
The traditional curriculum inherited from colonial system tended to be too academic theoretical and examination oriented It was not diversified enough to tap the divergent talents and abilities of learners It was therefore to a large extent irrelevant to the social and economic needs of the country and the overemphasis on examinations limited its scope
In an effort to review and restructure the education system curriculum to match it with the country’s realistic needs National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) was set up in 1973 Curriculum renewal is now being actively implemented covering the whole range of subjects at primary and secondary level
This is aimed at producing school leavers at all levels that are adequately equipped with practical skills and knowledge that can make them employable and productive members of society It is also in due consideration of the current trends of social needs in the wake of technological advances and requirements and that education is still the basis for whitecollar employment
To make relevant the primary school curriculum government appointed the curriculum task force which set up subject panels The curriculum task force consisted of NCDC UNEB Education Planning Department and Preprimary and Primary Education Department This resulted into Volume 1 and 2 of the curriculum
With the introduction of UPE there have been a number of challenges which include Low retention & completion rates lack of due consideration to reading & writing lack of adequate follow up and inspection need to retrain teachers Guidance and Counseling and Life Skills and the need to revive management training of head teachers and their deputies All these challenges called for the road map for the implementation of the primary school curriculum In this regard several Interventions are in place to ensure quality in education These include New Timetable to address reading and writing entry age (6+ years) district performance targets putting books in the hands of learners and use of local language in P1P4
36 Financing of Education
Education in Uganda is financed by government of Uganda and the external donor support under the umbrella organization called the Education Funding Agencies Group (EFAG) The Donor support in Uganda takes the form of either budget support or project support Budget support is a reference to external financial support that is extended to the Government through Ministry of Finance At school level financing each student enrolled at different subsectors reveals serious inequalities
A comparison between primary and secondary per pupil expenditure indicates that the per unit cost of educating a secondary school student was four times higher than that of educating a primary school pupil before 19971998 but increased to six times more This is higher at the university level where government used to spend 156 times more on a single university student in 199495 than its expenditure on a pupil at primary level Similarly although all categories of teachers have received salary increases salary differentials have also been growing to increasingly favour mainly those in administrative positions
361 Budgetary Allocation
In the early years of independence government expenditure on education averaged around 4 percent of GDP By the early 1980s this had plummeted to barely 10 percent Currently Uganda’s public spending on education both as a share of GDP and as a share of total public expenditure is relatively high However the share allocated to primary is high The concentration on primary education as a bottomup developmental approach was justifiable within the overall context of the poverty eradication In the FY 20056 budget the Education sector was allocated 172 of the national budget or 396 of GDP
Table 1 shows government expenditure on Education by Financial year 200304
Table 1 Public Expenditure on Education (billions of Uganda shillings)
200304
Sector share ()
Primary
Recurrent
279182
Development
71981
Total
351163
679
Secondary
Recurrent
81667
Development
1767
Total
83434
161
BTVET*
Recurrent
15134
Development
1422
Total
16556
32
Tertiary
Recurrent
49048
Development
1608
Total
50656
98
Other Expenditure
Recurrent
11440
Development
4022
Total
15462
30
Total Public
Expenditure on
Education
Recurrent
436470
Development
80800
Total
51727
Education share of total public expenditure ()
Education expenditure as percent of GDP
300
39
* Students in Government institutions
Source MOES Education Sector Medium Term Budget Framework Paper 2004
However resulting from the bulge of UPE graduates there is now greater demand for post primary education and training (PPET) The budgets are now therefore likely to focus more resources on PPET and higher education
37 Education Policy Thrusts
The key policy thrust in the Education Sector for both rural and urban Uganda includes
(i) Providing equitable access to affordable quality education to all Ugandans
(ii) Propelling the nation towards achieving the goals of PEAP
(iii) Meeting commitments to achieve Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015
(iv) Providing relevant education and
(v) Enhancing efficiency It is to be noted that Education for All is premised by the belief that every person can receive education and contribute to development In Uganda education is a Constitutional right
40 SOCIAL DEMAND AND DISPARITIES IN EDUCATION
Since the introduction of formal education in Uganda there have been disparities in the distribution of facilities for female students which are best seen between urban and rural areas This may be partly because the first schools set up by the government for children of administrators and chiefs were around urban areas In addition the geographically poorer areas in terms of soils and climate tend to have fewer schools than the relatively richer areas Other factors behind this disparity include historical ones such as the presence and influence of missionaries and cultural factors and the fact that starting schools depended on the community’s initiative
41 Education for disadvantaged Groups
411 Education for women
The education of women in Uganda still lags behind that of men although the policy on education provides for equal educational opportunities for both sexes However in reflection of the prevailing attitudes at the inception of formal education few girls’ schools especially at secondary level were established Absence of expansion of schools during the 1980s and early 1990s the high school dropout rate early marriages among girls and social and cultural prejudices against girls’ education and lack of career guidance and counselling limited girls’ access to educational opportunities The low educational status of girls in turn limited women’s acquisition of knowledge skills and technology to compete equally with men for available opportunities facilities and services in all sectors
Since 1986 the GoU has through a number of key policy documents declared its commitment to redressing the disparities that characterize the provision of education for girls It has both of its own volition and through collaboration with donors and Nongovernment Organizations set up several genderresponsive programs to expand and improve education of girls These efforts have been intensified by Uganda’s belief that the girlchild is entitled to equal access to education as a human right and that the educated girlchild is a linchpin in the development of the nation
Currently the gender disparities in education are mostly caused by high dropout rates of girls in upper primary school characterised by low retention repetition dropout and noncompletion Thus while countrywide enrolment figures for girls are fairly good in P1 and P2 (48 for girls and 52 for boys) from P4 onwards there is widening of the gender gap The completion rate for girls is estimated to be 65 while that of boys is 71
However the above scenario has now been almost reversed Information and statistical data available indicates that the enrolment in formal primary schools in Uganda is now over 3872589 boys and 3760725 girls Among children who enrol in P1 688 girls as opposed to 663 boys reach P4 and of those 209 girls compared to 241 boys go on to P7 Among children who repeat classes 142 are boys as opposed to 135 girls In 2000 the ratio of girls to boys stood at 441 to 559 respectively
This ratio improved from 450 to 550 in the year 2004
In an effort to accelerate girls’ full and equal participation and retention in primary schools the government of Uganda has embarked on a number of Programmes which are currently being implemented under the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) framework in Uganda These include among others the Girls’ Education Movement (GEM) the National Strategy for Girls Education in Uganda Child Friendly Basic Education and Learning Programme (20012005) Breakthrough to Literacy (BTL) Growing Up and Management of Sexual Maturation (GUSM) the Sara initiative and Basic Education Child Care and Adolescent Development (BECCAD)
(a) Girls’ Education Movement
This is a child centered girlled grassroots movement to empower girls to take action on issues central to furthering girls’ education In each school the GEM club is led by girls with boys as strategic allies and adult women and men advisors who provide the wisdom of age The local GEM clubs are started by students who have attended a GEM facilitator training Over 100 young people have been trained at GEM training and GEM clubs are being started in schools throughout the districts
(b) National strategy for Girls Education
This has been formulated as a partnership with other stakeholders and harmonises their roles and activities in educating the girlchild It outlines key barriers to girls’ education in Ugandan and shows various planned strategies to address them
(c) Early Childhood Development
This programme aims at training local women in health and child development strategies that enhance the early development of the child freeing girls from the responsibility of caring for younger siblings in order that they may be free to attend school and establishing early positive habits for girls education
(d) Child Friendly Basic Education and Learning Programme
It emphasizes a comprehensive approach to issues of quality education equitable participation attainments retention and addressing the challenges of education for the excluded and the girl child
(e) Breakthrough To Literacy (BTL)
This is a teaching methodology based in the local language designed to teach children life skills and to read and write in their mother tongues This is an interactive participatory methodology that is childcentered and gender responsive supporting girls’ retention
(f) The Sara initiative
This aimed at raising the awareness of the general public to the importance of supporting girls’ education building their selfesteem and raising their life aspiration
(g) Basic Education Child Care and Adolescent Development (BECCAD)
BECCAD focuses on the rights of children and promotes awareness about girls’ education at the basic level paying special attention to increasing female enrolments
All these interventions are aimed at lowering socialcultural barriers to girls' attendance and retention in primary education
412 Education for Children with Special Needs
According to the report by the Uganda National Association of Persons with disabilities (UNAD) 2000 about 0 of the population are severely disabled 55 of these lacks Functional Literacy approximately 33 only reach Primary Seven and about 22 have a mental handicap Less than 25 of women with disabilities are vocationally untrained this forming the semiilliteracy class
Before UPE a few schools for children with disabilities were working hard to meet their needs but most of these children were out of school Today the situation has changed Special needs schools benefit from UPE funds Even more significantly children with disabilities are being integrated into normal schools through an inclusion approach The number of pupils with special needs in schools increased by 726 from 26429 in 1997 to 218286 in 2004 Following the efforts to increase awareness about the value of education for children with disabilities their total enrolments grew from 218286 (117824 males and 100462 females) in FY 200203 to 247953 (133487 males and 114466 females) in FY 200304 at primary level
50 REVIEW OF UGANDA’S EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION FOR RURAL PEOPLE
Uganda has achieved remarkable successes in the field of education especially during the last decade to date However there are also challenges which still need to be addressed
i) The upward trend in enrolment rates is a qualified story for success However ensuring that this upward trend does not reduce quality is a major challenge PupilstudentTeacher Ratio Pupil Classroom Ratio are still high The enrolment has not also been matched by number of trained teachers Inspection is not yet strong on the ground and the management of schools lacks the necessary training in the skills of administration and management
ii) The need to provide education for children in armed conflicts and from disadvantaged communities is one of the challenges Allocation of resources is very difficult because these children move to various areas for safety and funds have to follow them adopt to their conditions by providing facilities wherever they settle
iii) The HIVAIDS pandemic has caused death among the teachers pupils and the parents The trauma and stigma associated with HIVAIDS also drastically affects learning programmes The Presidential Initiative on Aids Strategy for Communication to the Youth (PIASCY) is one of the mechanisms to create AIDSHIV awareness among school pupils
iv) The imbalance in gender for the poor and persons with disabilities especially at secondary level remains a big challenge There is need to continue gender activities by providing teachers with the knowledge and skills required to adopt and promote gender sensitive approaches in all schools as this has a direct impact on retention
v) The need to promote education for sustainable development that ensures self reliance and the ability on the part of the learners to develop and sustain resources that are required for it The education sector is focussing on the human development through expanded and revised education curriculum especially at the primary and secondary level It also encourages acquire vocational education that can
vi) There is increased partnership with the private sector which is already significantly involved in the provision of education The private sector including NGOs (NonGovernment Organisations) has provided relatively wellequipped schools with a variety of marketoriented programmes a variety of nonformal programmes targeting school dropouts and adults at grassroot community levels
Bibliography
Ministry of Education and Sports (200304) Education Annual Performance report
Eilor Joseph 2004 Education and the Sector Wide Approach in Uganda UNESCO – IIEP Paris France
Ministry of Education and Sports (March 1990) The Development of Education in Uganda A paper presented at the World Conference on Education for All Bangkoko Thailand
Ministry of Education and Sports 2003) Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Country case Study on the Impact PERP on the quality of Education
Ministry of Education and Sports National Strategy for Girls Education in Uganda
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2002) National Population and Housing census
Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) 2003 Plan for Modernisation of Agric
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Uganda is a land locked country which lies across the equator in the heart of Africa covering 241139 square kilometres 17 of which is water Most of the country lies between 9002000 meters above sea level The altitude makes Uganda enjoy a generally mild tropical climate with temperatures ranging between 17 0C and 28 0C with the average rainfall of about 1500 mm pa The altitudinal variations also enable Uganda grow a wide range of subsistence and cash crops including template crops such as wheat and barely The ecological and cultural richness of Uganda makes the country a true pearl of Africa
11 Demographic Trends
Uganda’s population which is now estimated to be 244 Million has an annual growth rate of 33 and a density of 124 persons per square kilometre The population structure depicts a high dependency rate with about 49 of the population below 15 years of age Females constitute about 512 of the population according to 2002 National Population and Housing Census Life expectancy is 47 years for males and 50 year for females The infant mortality rate is 83 and the fertility is about 7 children per woman The total number of males stands at 119 million while that of females is 125 million implying that for every 95 males there are 100 females
12 Literacy Levels
The current National Literacy rate is estimated at 68 of which 76 is for males and 61 is for females The population age group 612 is estimated at 22 which is about 53 of the total population At primary level less than 711 of the children aged 615 years are enrolled in schools Of these 83 are females and 84 are males At secondary level 43 of the age group 15 years and above are enrolled in schools
13 Governance
Uganda attained independence in 1962 and in the period between 1970 and 1985 experienced political instability which led to serious economic decline During the period skilled manpower including a larger number of professional teachers fled the country while most of the infrastructure for industries health education transport and other commercial and service sectors were hardly repaired nor maintained
In 1986 National Resistance Movement (NRM) took over power and in 1987 it embarked on the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) to restore financial stability and initiate the rehabilitation of the country’s productive and social infrastructure so as to set up a base for an integrated and selfsustaining economy
To date the recovery programme measures have already made a positive impact on the economy as reflected by the upward trend of economic growth with the GDP registering a 58 growth in financial year 200405
Agriculture has been and continues to dominate the economy of Uganda In 200405 the sector accounted for 42 of GDP and employs 80 of the working population Agricultural activities are almost carried out as wholly by 25 million smallscale producers each holding an average farm size of about 2 hectares
20 OVERVIEW OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
21 Structure of the education system
211 Pre school
Outside the home education at this level is basically in the hands of private agencies and individuals Most of the nursery schools and kindergartens are in urban areas and many children enter primary school with little preparation for the intellectual tasks it requires They come from families in which parents have not either gone to school or the home environment has no exposure to reading materials or incentives to learn to read
In order to streamline the programme the Ministry of Education and Sports developed a draft Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy It has licensed and is monitoring private centres including Early Childhood Development instructional methods in the PTC curriculum The national enrolment is over 41775 pupils of the age group 25 years ranging from LowerBaby class to Top Class
212 Primary education
The primary sevenyear education provides the basic education leading to the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) Certificate in four Core Subjects which include English Mathematics Science and Social Studies There are two categories of primary schools namely private primary schools under the management of nongovernment Agencies and Government Aided schools Presently over 77 million of the primary school age going children attend primary school
The Ministry of Education and Sports controls primary and other levels of Education in Uganda It trains registers and supplies all required teachers prescribes a national curriculum and provides textbooks administrators and inspectors In addition constructs schools teachers’ houses sanitary facilities and furniture There is also an active involvement by the NGOs The community and parents have a significant role such as bricks land and labour In addition they provide scholastic materials There are 11850 Government aided and 1521 Private primary schools
Inspite of these the pace of expanding primary schools is slower than the rate of demand for basic education in primary schools and the problem is compounded by the rate of population increase Because of this the Pupil Classroom ratio is still high at 841
213 Post Primary Education
This level includes secondary and tertiary education Secondary education comprises of two levels namely four years of lower secondary education leading to the Uganda Certificate in Education (UCE) and two years of upper secondary education leading to the Uganda Advanced Certificate in Education (UACE) At present there are 1651 Government aided secondary schools and about 1898 private ones Most of the later have been built by the parents on self help basis while the rest are owned by voluntary agencies and individuals Like primary schools many secondary schools lack some of the basic facilities particularly textbooks and equipment
Transition rate to Senior 1 for girls is higher than that of their male counterparts In 2003 transition rates for boys stood at 57 and that of girls at 63 In 2004 transition rate for both boys and girls had increased to 61 for boys and 68 for girls Of those students who successfully complete O’ Level secondary education the transition rate to Senior 5 for boys is generally higher than that of girls (ie 43 for boys and 33 for girls in 2004)
Parallel to Secondary schools are technical schools which take a proportion of primary school leavers who are taught various crafts and skills for duration of three years There are 29 Grant Aided Technical schools with a rather limited enrolment of 7361 Post O’ Level and Post Technical School Vocational courses are offered at 33 Technical Institutes with a total enrolment of 7150 students for two years for all courses In addition there are also 16 Community Polytechnics which promote technical education and vocational training There is a growing number of privately owned and privately run technical and commercial institutes with varying course duration Opportunities in Vocational Education are currently limited especially because of the high cost of establishing such institutions and providing the basic facilities such as tools and workshops for the courses they offer
There are 45 primary Teacher Training Colleges for producing primary school teachers Twentytwo are NonCore while 23 are Core Most of these were developed from primary schools and have been improved through infrastructure provision and realignment of programmes
There are also Six (6) National Teachers Colleges Four (4) National Colleges of Business studies Five (5) Uganda Colleges of Commerce and Five (5) Technical colleges
214 Higher Education
Currently there are four (4) public and 27 licensed private Universities which award different degrees
Following the liberalisation of the Government Macro Policy and realising that the demand for trained professionals is growing as the social economic sector grows the government now sponsors over 4000 students each year offering different courses It is also noted that there is significant investment of the private sector including NGOs in Higher Education
A draft Strategic Plan for higher education was finalised and is intended to reform higher education curricular to address national needs maintain and sustain the quality of education at higher levels and improve management of higher education in the country
The government also enacted the University and other tertiary institutions Act 2001 to give a legal framework for management and administration of higher education Institutions in the country and give legal back up to the expansion of quality of Higher education As provided for in the Act The council is responsible for licensing Private Universities and it sets Academic and Management standards for all Universities in the country The composition of the National Council for Higher Education reflects a wide range of National interest covering various areas of development
Figure 1 The existing structure of the education system
3
2
1
UCCs
Legend
UTCs
Bus educ Business education Bus educ (priv)
3
2
1
2
1
UJTC
Cert Certificate
C Technical college
HSec Higher secondary
Training abroad
App tra employment
NCBS National College of Business Studies Tech schools Tech inst
App tra employment
NTCs National teachers’ colleges
PLE Primary leaving examinations
Priv Private
Tech Technical
TechVoc Technicalvocational
UJTC Uganda Junior Technicians’ Certificate
UCE Uganda Certificate of Education
UCE
UACE
PLE
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
University
Leavers
Primary school Gen sec(O’ level) A’ level
LEAVERS
NTCs
1
2
School leavers
PTC (GRIII)
Department training
Department training
Employment
Employment
UNIVERSITY
NTCs
DEPARTMENT TRAINING
EMPLOYMENT
SourceGovernment White Paper on Education 1992
Leavers
22 Non Formal Education
Government caters for Nonformal education largely for children who still do not access education for various reasons such as social economic and Environmental These children include over age children in pastoral areas and fishing villages and those in labour who are too old to return to school Several initiatives have been undertaken by government in collaboration with other stakeholders with a view to enable the out of school youth benefit from education through alternative education delivery modalities These include Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) Complementary Opportunities for Primary Education (COPE) Basic Education for Urban Poverty Areas (BEUPA) Childcentred Alternative Nonformal Community Based Education (CHANCE) Empowering Lifelong Skills Education in Masindi (ELSE) NonGovernment Organisations have made a tremendous contribution in this field and currently the enrolment in Nonformal programmes stands to over 20567 boys and 27248 girls in Primary Education
23 Adult Education
During the 1940s adult literacy programmes produced commendable results from the time government joined the missionaries in their educational efforts Most adults who went through baptism courses can still read and write with understanding From 1946 to 1960 the programme which was implemented through films demonstrations and drama contributed a lot to changing people’s attitudes towards good health habits From 1965 to 1978 10 of the target population became literate at an average of between 40000 and 45000 people each year This contributed greatly to the gradual reduction of illiteracy from 80 for women and 60 for men at independence to 54 and 45 respectively in 1980 However the illiteracy levels are still high in Uganda especially among women today
According to the IFAD study under the Gender strengthening Programme for Eastern and Southern Africa done in 2000 it was revealed that illiteracy in Uganda is 551 among women compared to 365 among men Usually in rural areas the gap is larger and literacy rates are lower Programmes to bridge these gaps have been introduced and they include Functional Adult Literacy (FAL)
In Uganda Functional Adult Literacy Programmes involve other useful learning besides reading writing and numeracy skills The programmes are considered as a powerful tool for empowering the people particularly if they can apply their new learning and skills properly In addition linking functional literacy training to credit helps enhance women’s control over income Today most of the people who attend these Functional Adult Literacy classes are women
Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) also empowers the population and reduces their ignorance and poverty The study by UWESO and IFAD in the district of Hoima Masindi and Kibaale shows that because of the programme women have acquired learning or skills that enable them to control pest crops how to improve sanitation and hygiene at the household level (use of rubbish pits boiling water use of latrines) the care and nutrition of children (breastfeeding a balanced diet immunization) and modern farming methods and above all it had given them self confidence
In order to promote Functional Adult Literacy in Uganda the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) which covers only 26 Districts has produced Literacy Materials in six languages and these include Luganda Luo Lunyankole Lukiga Lunyoro Lutoro Ateso and Lukonjo The Literacy Materials include Primers Instructors’ Guides to the primer and charts Some postliteracy materials have also been produced
Some NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) have been also active in the field of Functional Literacy programmes The NGOs include Actionaid National Adult Education Association Uganda Community Association for Child Welfare Uganda Joint Action for Adult Education Religious bodies and some parastatal organisations There are also some literacy programmes being carried out by the Prisons Department
Apart from Adult Literacy diverse adult education programmes and activities in Uganda are in place These contain a vital and significant educational component consisting of such elements as vocational training in various skills artistic activities including theatre and drama extramural studies community development and club activities various mass mobilisation programmes for general or specific adult groups and varied forms of extension work
30 EDUCATION SOFT WARE
Educational institutions at all levels require the inputs such as infrastructure furniture teachers Instructional materials and curriculum among others Government through its Education reforms such as introduction of UPE has increased on the demand for education soft ware both at primary and post primary level
31 Teachers
There is need to increase the supply of qualified teachers to match the increasing enrolments Government has improved the teacher payroll management and made resources available in the recurrent budget to cater for increased teachers recruitment ie the teacher wage bill
The rapid increases in the demand for basic education have also occasioned a great need in the number of teachers At the end of 1996 the primary school teaching force was only 81600 teachers the number now is 145000 teachers out of which 851 are on government payroll In 1996 only about 40 of the teachers were on payroll
In secondary education the MoES has recently carried out intensive teacher transfers This was done to enable the MoES to create a balance in the teaching force especially in the teaching of science subjects However teachers in secondary schools work under serious constraints such as lack of teaching materials In addition they have low promotion aspects which lowers their working
32 Instructional Materials
As one of the strategies to further basic education government undertook the responsibility to provide increased instructional materials These are aimed at ensuring quality and equity through improving access and usage of scholastic materials These Instructional materials in primary schools include Core text books Teacher’s guides supplementary text books and basic teachers’ professional references and pedagogic materials pupils’ basic reference books (Atlas and Dictionaries) Supplementary reading books and learning aids specifically wall charts
At National level government has integrated instructional materials supply for core textbooks in the recurrent budget In addition a proportion (35) of the UPE capitation grant is set aside for the purchase of extra instructional supplementary materials which include among others supplementary books for readers teacher reference books charts and black boards
Resources are made available through the government recurrent budget for bulk purchases of these materials Activities under this are implemented at the centre by Instructional materials Unit (IMU) but a few district are now piloting the Decentralised Instructional Materials Procurement The procurement of instructional materials has now improved the Pupil Textbook Ratio (PTR) to 31
33 Classrooms
Government is still committed to construct and furnish new facilities (ie classrooms sanitary facilities and teachers houses) provide eighteen threeseater desks to each classroom built through the School Facilities Grant (SFG) Programme The programme assists the most needy school community to build new classrooms supply furniture for the constructed classrooms and build latrines and at least 4 teachers’ houses per school All this has been done to accommodate increased enrolments by meeting the set targets Classroom Pupil ratio of 155 Desk pupil ratio of 13 Latrine Pupil ratio of 140 and at least 4 teachers’ houses per school The number of classrooms has now increased to 78403 compared to only 25676 classrooms in 1996 but the Pupil Classroom Ratio (PCR) is still high at 841
34 Planning and Management
Presently the MoES comprises of eight (8) departments namely Finance and Administration Education Planning PrePrimary and Primary Education Secondary Education Teacher Education Business Technical Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Special Needs Education Career Guidance and Counselling and Higher Education A commissioner heads each department A policy analysis unit and a resource centre were established as a result of the postConstitutional restructuring of the Ministry in 1998 At the same time three other units were approved as part of the establishment These are the Procurement Unit Construction Management Unit and the Instructional Materials Unit
In addition there are several semiautonomous institutions have been established to handle the more specialized functions of the Ministry These are
(i) Education Service Commission (ESC)
(ii) Education Standards Agency (ESA)
(iii) National Council of Sports (NCS)
(iv) National Curriculum Development Center (NCDC)
(v) Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB)
(vi) National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
(vii) Public universities (ie Makerere University Mbarara University of Science and Technology Kyambogo University and Gulu University)
(viii) Makerere University Business School and
(ix) The Uganda Management Institute
At the district level the District Education Officer (DEO) is the key official to whom the head teachers go to collect cash for salaries and school supplies hand in any reports and receive communication from the Headquarters
However under the decentralisation programme district staff operate under the control and supervision of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) The CAO is the District Accounting Officer while the District Local Council is the main budgetary unit in the district The implications of all these decisions are that the District Education Office (DEO) primarily reports to the district government and only secondary schools to the MoES
Because of decentralization most of the authority to control the affairs of individual schoolscolleges has been effectively relinquished to the head teachersPrincipals Schools Management Committees (SMCs) at primary school level and Boards of Governors at Secondary Schools and the ParentTeachers Associations (PTAs)
MoES headquarters now concentrates more on planning policy analysis curriculum and examination reform national assessment monitoring and evaluation
35 Curriculum
The traditional curriculum inherited from colonial system tended to be too academic theoretical and examination oriented It was not diversified enough to tap the divergent talents and abilities of learners It was therefore to a large extent irrelevant to the social and economic needs of the country and the overemphasis on examinations limited its scope
In an effort to review and restructure the education system curriculum to match it with the country’s realistic needs National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) was set up in 1973 Curriculum renewal is now being actively implemented covering the whole range of subjects at primary and secondary level
This is aimed at producing school leavers at all levels that are adequately equipped with practical skills and knowledge that can make them employable and productive members of society It is also in due consideration of the current trends of social needs in the wake of technological advances and requirements and that education is still the basis for whitecollar employment
To make relevant the primary school curriculum government appointed the curriculum task force which set up subject panels The curriculum task force consisted of NCDC UNEB Education Planning Department and Preprimary and Primary Education Department This resulted into Volume 1 and 2 of the curriculum
With the introduction of UPE there have been a number of challenges which include Low retention & completion rates lack of due consideration to reading & writing lack of adequate follow up and inspection need to retrain teachers Guidance and Counseling and Life Skills and the need to revive management training of head teachers and their deputies All these challenges called for the road map for the implementation of the primary school curriculum In this regard several Interventions are in place to ensure quality in education These include New Timetable to address reading and writing entry age (6+ years) district performance targets putting books in the hands of learners and use of local language in P1P4
36 Financing of Education
Education in Uganda is financed by government of Uganda and the external donor support under the umbrella organization called the Education Funding Agencies Group (EFAG) The Donor support in Uganda takes the form of either budget support or project support Budget support is a reference to external financial support that is extended to the Government through Ministry of Finance At school level financing each student enrolled at different subsectors reveals serious inequalities
A comparison between primary and secondary per pupil expenditure indicates that the per unit cost of educating a secondary school student was four times higher than that of educating a primary school pupil before 19971998 but increased to six times more This is higher at the university level where government used to spend 156 times more on a single university student in 199495 than its expenditure on a pupil at primary level Similarly although all categories of teachers have received salary increases salary differentials have also been growing to increasingly favour mainly those in administrative positions
361 Budgetary Allocation
In the early years of independence government expenditure on education averaged around 4 percent of GDP By the early 1980s this had plummeted to barely 10 percent Currently Uganda’s public spending on education both as a share of GDP and as a share of total public expenditure is relatively high However the share allocated to primary is high The concentration on primary education as a bottomup developmental approach was justifiable within the overall context of the poverty eradication In the FY 20056 budget the Education sector was allocated 172 of the national budget or 396 of GDP
Table 1 shows government expenditure on Education by Financial year 200304
Table 1 Public Expenditure on Education (billions of Uganda shillings)
200304
Sector share ()
Primary
Recurrent
279182
Development
71981
Total
351163
679
Secondary
Recurrent
81667
Development
1767
Total
83434
161
BTVET*
Recurrent
15134
Development
1422
Total
16556
32
Tertiary
Recurrent
49048
Development
1608
Total
50656
98
Other Expenditure
Recurrent
11440
Development
4022
Total
15462
30
Total Public
Expenditure on
Education
Recurrent
436470
Development
80800
Total
51727
Education share of total public expenditure ()
Education expenditure as percent of GDP
300
39
* Students in Government institutions
Source MOES Education Sector Medium Term Budget Framework Paper 2004
However resulting from the bulge of UPE graduates there is now greater demand for post primary education and training (PPET) The budgets are now therefore likely to focus more resources on PPET and higher education
37 Education Policy Thrusts
The key policy thrust in the Education Sector for both rural and urban Uganda includes
(i) Providing equitable access to affordable quality education to all Ugandans
(ii) Propelling the nation towards achieving the goals of PEAP
(iii) Meeting commitments to achieve Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015
(iv) Providing relevant education and
(v) Enhancing efficiency It is to be noted that Education for All is premised by the belief that every person can receive education and contribute to development In Uganda education is a Constitutional right
40 SOCIAL DEMAND AND DISPARITIES IN EDUCATION
Since the introduction of formal education in Uganda there have been disparities in the distribution of facilities for female students which are best seen between urban and rural areas This may be partly because the first schools set up by the government for children of administrators and chiefs were around urban areas In addition the geographically poorer areas in terms of soils and climate tend to have fewer schools than the relatively richer areas Other factors behind this disparity include historical ones such as the presence and influence of missionaries and cultural factors and the fact that starting schools depended on the community’s initiative
41 Education for disadvantaged Groups
411 Education for women
The education of women in Uganda still lags behind that of men although the policy on education provides for equal educational opportunities for both sexes However in reflection of the prevailing attitudes at the inception of formal education few girls’ schools especially at secondary level were established Absence of expansion of schools during the 1980s and early 1990s the high school dropout rate early marriages among girls and social and cultural prejudices against girls’ education and lack of career guidance and counselling limited girls’ access to educational opportunities The low educational status of girls in turn limited women’s acquisition of knowledge skills and technology to compete equally with men for available opportunities facilities and services in all sectors
Since 1986 the GoU has through a number of key policy documents declared its commitment to redressing the disparities that characterize the provision of education for girls It has both of its own volition and through collaboration with donors and Nongovernment Organizations set up several genderresponsive programs to expand and improve education of girls These efforts have been intensified by Uganda’s belief that the girlchild is entitled to equal access to education as a human right and that the educated girlchild is a linchpin in the development of the nation
Currently the gender disparities in education are mostly caused by high dropout rates of girls in upper primary school characterised by low retention repetition dropout and noncompletion Thus while countrywide enrolment figures for girls are fairly good in P1 and P2 (48 for girls and 52 for boys) from P4 onwards there is widening of the gender gap The completion rate for girls is estimated to be 65 while that of boys is 71
However the above scenario has now been almost reversed Information and statistical data available indicates that the enrolment in formal primary schools in Uganda is now over 3872589 boys and 3760725 girls Among children who enrol in P1 688 girls as opposed to 663 boys reach P4 and of those 209 girls compared to 241 boys go on to P7 Among children who repeat classes 142 are boys as opposed to 135 girls In 2000 the ratio of girls to boys stood at 441 to 559 respectively
This ratio improved from 450 to 550 in the year 2004
In an effort to accelerate girls’ full and equal participation and retention in primary schools the government of Uganda has embarked on a number of Programmes which are currently being implemented under the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) framework in Uganda These include among others the Girls’ Education Movement (GEM) the National Strategy for Girls Education in Uganda Child Friendly Basic Education and Learning Programme (20012005) Breakthrough to Literacy (BTL) Growing Up and Management of Sexual Maturation (GUSM) the Sara initiative and Basic Education Child Care and Adolescent Development (BECCAD)
(a) Girls’ Education Movement
This is a child centered girlled grassroots movement to empower girls to take action on issues central to furthering girls’ education In each school the GEM club is led by girls with boys as strategic allies and adult women and men advisors who provide the wisdom of age The local GEM clubs are started by students who have attended a GEM facilitator training Over 100 young people have been trained at GEM training and GEM clubs are being started in schools throughout the districts
(b) National strategy for Girls Education
This has been formulated as a partnership with other stakeholders and harmonises their roles and activities in educating the girlchild It outlines key barriers to girls’ education in Ugandan and shows various planned strategies to address them
(c) Early Childhood Development
This programme aims at training local women in health and child development strategies that enhance the early development of the child freeing girls from the responsibility of caring for younger siblings in order that they may be free to attend school and establishing early positive habits for girls education
(d) Child Friendly Basic Education and Learning Programme
It emphasizes a comprehensive approach to issues of quality education equitable participation attainments retention and addressing the challenges of education for the excluded and the girl child
(e) Breakthrough To Literacy (BTL)
This is a teaching methodology based in the local language designed to teach children life skills and to read and write in their mother tongues This is an interactive participatory methodology that is childcentered and gender responsive supporting girls’ retention
(f) The Sara initiative
This aimed at raising the awareness of the general public to the importance of supporting girls’ education building their selfesteem and raising their life aspiration
(g) Basic Education Child Care and Adolescent Development (BECCAD)
BECCAD focuses on the rights of children and promotes awareness about girls’ education at the basic level paying special attention to increasing female enrolments
All these interventions are aimed at lowering socialcultural barriers to girls' attendance and retention in primary education
412 Education for Children with Special Needs
According to the report by the Uganda National Association of Persons with disabilities (UNAD) 2000 about 0 of the population are severely disabled 55 of these lacks Functional Literacy approximately 33 only reach Primary Seven and about 22 have a mental handicap Less than 25 of women with disabilities are vocationally untrained this forming the semiilliteracy class
Before UPE a few schools for children with disabilities were working hard to meet their needs but most of these children were out of school Today the situation has changed Special needs schools benefit from UPE funds Even more significantly children with disabilities are being integrated into normal schools through an inclusion approach The number of pupils with special needs in schools increased by 726 from 26429 in 1997 to 218286 in 2004 Following the efforts to increase awareness about the value of education for children with disabilities their total enrolments grew from 218286 (117824 males and 100462 females) in FY 200203 to 247953 (133487 males and 114466 females) in FY 200304 at primary level
50 REVIEW OF UGANDA’S EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION FOR RURAL PEOPLE
Uganda has achieved remarkable successes in the field of education especially during the last decade to date However there are also challenges which still need to be addressed
i) The upward trend in enrolment rates is a qualified story for success However ensuring that this upward trend does not reduce quality is a major challenge PupilstudentTeacher Ratio Pupil Classroom Ratio are still high The enrolment has not also been matched by number of trained teachers Inspection is not yet strong on the ground and the management of schools lacks the necessary training in the skills of administration and management
ii) The need to provide education for children in armed conflicts and from disadvantaged communities is one of the challenges Allocation of resources is very difficult because these children move to various areas for safety and funds have to follow them adopt to their conditions by providing facilities wherever they settle
iii) The HIVAIDS pandemic has caused death among the teachers pupils and the parents The trauma and stigma associated with HIVAIDS also drastically affects learning programmes The Presidential Initiative on Aids Strategy for Communication to the Youth (PIASCY) is one of the mechanisms to create AIDSHIV awareness among school pupils
iv) The imbalance in gender for the poor and persons with disabilities especially at secondary level remains a big challenge There is need to continue gender activities by providing teachers with the knowledge and skills required to adopt and promote gender sensitive approaches in all schools as this has a direct impact on retention
v) The need to promote education for sustainable development that ensures self reliance and the ability on the part of the learners to develop and sustain resources that are required for it The education sector is focussing on the human development through expanded and revised education curriculum especially at the primary and secondary level It also encourages acquire vocational education that can
vi) There is increased partnership with the private sector which is already significantly involved in the provision of education The private sector including NGOs (NonGovernment Organisations) has provided relatively wellequipped schools with a variety of marketoriented programmes a variety of nonformal programmes targeting school dropouts and adults at grassroot community levels
Bibliography
Ministry of Education and Sports (200304) Education Annual Performance report
Eilor Joseph 2004 Education and the Sector Wide Approach in Uganda UNESCO – IIEP Paris France
Ministry of Education and Sports (March 1990) The Development of Education in Uganda A paper presented at the World Conference on Education for All Bangkoko Thailand
Ministry of Education and Sports 2003) Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Country case Study on the Impact PERP on the quality of Education
Ministry of Education and Sports National Strategy for Girls Education in Uganda
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2002) National Population and Housing census
Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) 2003 Plan for Modernisation of Agric
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