Education In Uganda Research Articles

Strengthening Uganda's Education System

Uganda has come a long way on its journey towards having a largely educated population. Undoubtedly, notable progress has been made towards this cause e.g. introduction of Universal Primary Education which was followed by achieving impressive primary school enrollment rates, and increment in mean years of schooling from 2.8 years in 1990 to 5.7 years in 2015. However, there are still a number of challenges holding the country’s education sector back. The major challenges pointed out in this paper include: high fertility rates; low quality of education; competing national budget priorities; biting poverty and child labor; and high unemployment rates. To deal with these challenges, this paper proposes that the government of Uganda should: widen its tax base to mobilize more funds for the education sector and other priority sectors; devise strategies to reduce the country’s fertility rate; revise the school curriculum to make it more relevant to current and future economic needs; design an education system with the ability and aim of giving all Ugandans a minimum education level of an undergraduate degree or equivalent vocational/ technical training and; strengthen enforcement of national education standards and other related regulations.

“We can keep the fire burning”: building action competence through environmental justice education in Uganda and Germany

ABSTRACTThe global dimensions of climate change necessitate a response that takes national differences – social, economic, geographic, and cultural – into account. Action-oriented education has a key role to play in advancing citizen engagement in a culture of sustainability. This paper describes research conducted with one such education programme, Youth Leading Environmental Change (YLEC), which operates in six countries and engages university-aged youth in discussion and practice related to global sustainability, systems thinking, and environmental justice. YLEC aims to advance four key competencies; this paper focuses on the goal of action competence, which involves acquiring knowledge, reflecting on experience in the context of one’s values, envisioning alternative futures, and acting individually and collectively to advance those alternatives. The present article examines the impacts of YLEC on environmental action competence in two of the countries involved in this research: Uganda and Germany. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants in both countries to examine the development of action competence during and after the programme. Findings suggest that outcomes differed in each country, reflective of participants’ different lived experiences. YLEC effectively built on the conditions faced in each country to accompany youth to a higher level of awareness and action. These findings have implications for environmental education programmes striving to work with multiple nations and diverse participants.

Students׳ motivation for architecture education in Uganda

Understanding the persistence and success of students has gained increasing attention to unravel the “architectural education black-box.” However, the motivation and pre-socialization of incoming students were largely ignored as these factors fell outside the direct control of architecture schools. Motivational factors can affect the educational process given that the values, expectations, and career-related goals of incoming students influence their attitudes to education. This study seeks to uncover the motivational factors of applicants to an architecture program in East Africa and appreciate those factors that lead students into architecture as a career choice. Through qualitative content analysis, the study revealed the motivational factors of applicants, which were classified into four groups: educational, external, personal, and prestige. These factors were comparable with those found in previous studies conducted in Europe and North America, but nevertheless highlight contextual variances unique to the region. The findings raise questions of the role architecture education in engaging incoming students in discourse that aids their understanding of architecture and architectural education.

Towards in-service training needs of secondary school agriculture teachers in a paradigm shift to outcome-based education in Uganda

ABSTRACTPurpose: This paper examines the in-service teacher training needs of secondary school agriculture teachers in Uganda as the country moves towards an ‘outcome-based’ education by removal of subjects and instead, uses learning areas, presenting a need for new pedagogical skills among teachers.Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Uganda between June and September 2016 to assess the teaching methods and teacher training needs for secondary school agriculture curriculum. Data were collected from 80 agriculture teachers and 57 administrators from 60 secondary schools, randomly drawn from 25 districts in Uganda. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics.Findings: The findings show that there about 10 key competences required by the teachers to thrive in their profession. These range from traditional classroom teaching to community outreach and linkages with agribusinesses which is in tandem with outcome-based education beyond the classroom walls. Respondents highlight lack of practical agriculture skills and exposure to the modern farming practices.Theoretical implications: This paper examines role of formal in-service teacher training based on theory of change and proposes using professional learning communities for school-level improvements.Practical implication: The results were not significant enough to warrant strong recommendations. However, they suffice to highlight a growing need for in-service teacher support mechanism for a dynamic subject like agriculture using communities of practice at school and district levels.Originality/value: In the current context of growing concern for unemployment in Africa, secondary schools will require competent teachers to engage students into transferable learning, given that it is the terminal level of education for majority.

Higher education in Uganda: Gender, socio-economic status, geographical background and sponsorship in a group of social work students at Makerere University

This article investigates a group of 149 students studying social work and social administration at Makerere University, Uganda, and explores differences according to gender, sponsorship, geographical and socio-economic background, and parents’ educational level. Data used derive from a questionnaire collected in spring 2014. Results show that male students have access to public sponsorship to a greater degree than female students, regardless of their background. Female students are more dependent upon private sponsorship and their parents’ educational level for entry to higher education.

The effects of preschool participation on mathematics achievement of Grade 6 pupils in Uganda

The objective of this article is to investigate the effects of preschool participation on learning achievement and to estimate the optimal duration of preschool participation needed for pupils to perform their best in mathematics at the Grade 6 level in Uganda. The sample consisted of 2649 Grade 6 pupils, attending 82 schools across two rural districts of Iganga and Mayuge in Uganda. Understanding the relationship between duration of preschool participation and pupils’ future learning achievement is important to policies on preschool education in Uganda. Results from multilevel analyses show that preschool participation has positive impact on mathematics achievement of Grade 6 pupils. Results further showed that the positive impact of preschool on achievement seemed to level out after 2 years of preschool participation—meaning that 2 years was the optimal duration of preschool participation that was most helpful in boosting achievement. The implications of the finding to preschool education policy and practices are discussed.

Local Governments and Primary Education in Uganda

Decentralisation was one of the major reforms in the 1990s in Uganda, geared towards improving democratic governance and service delivery. However, districts have had variable performance, especially in providing primary education through public schools. In this article, I ask what explains the difference in local governments’ performance across two districts that were given similar powers and share a similar history. I explore this through in-depth interviews in the two districts and find that local governments are severely constrained in their performance by a lack of funds, which, along with development priorities, are controlled by the central government. Within this scenario, variable performance is explained to a great extent by the presence of donors and investments by the private sector, but that these funds are attracted to areas where greater capacity exists. While this improves education performance, it can contribute to growing inequality in educational attainment across districts.

Children’s conceptions of peace in two Ugandan primary schools: Insights for peace curriculum

Oppenheimer urged communities all over the world to study how children come to understand peace, conflict, and war. Set in various countries, their review of studies, as well as more recent examinations reveal trends in how children view these phenomena, often differing by gender, age, and extent to which they were exposed to highly dangerous and traumatizing situations, like being forced to be child soldiers or sex slaves. No such research has been published in the contemporary post-war Uganda context. Using focus group methodology, we asked: How might Ugandan primary school children’s stories about peace (traditional and otherwise) help them navigate conflict? What sorts of conflicts do these children observe in their home, school, and community, and how do they describe peace as being resolved by themselves or others? The purpose of our study was to contribute to the knowledge base on peace education in Uganda and to ultimately develop written materials that students can use as part of their learning in their respective schools. Local studies like this one are relevant to the global situation because racial and economic conditions are global phenomena. The local manifestations can speak to those racial and economic conditions as perspectives not often used to put the global situation in relief. This paper explores the findings related to the children’s overarching conceptions of peace and their ideas of peacebuilding, including activities that both hinder and encourage peace. The voices of the children speak strongly of the connection between peace and access to basic necessities in the community.

Using Zero Money to Tackle the Challenges of Universal Education in Africa: A Case of Universal Secondary Education in Uganda

Using Zero Money to Tackle the Challenges of Universal Education in Africa: A Case of Universal Secondary Education in Uganda

Attitudinal variables affecting education reforms and quality of primary education in Uganda

This paper establishes the extent to which attitudinal variables affect the education reforms and subsequently the quality of primary education in Uganda. The paper is based on the views of a wide ...

The politics of mother tongue education: The case of Uganda

This paper aims to explain the trend of mother tongue (MT) education in Uganda by examining particularly government’s practices towards MT education. MT education was (re)introduced in Uganda in 2006/2007 due to disappointing literacy acquisition by learners with the hope of improving literacy skills among particularly rural children. Based on data gathered from rural government and private schools in rural areas, this paper questions what exactly it is that government seeks to reclaim, restore and/or rejuvenate in Uganda’s education system via MT education.

Multidisciplinary leadership training for undergraduate health science students may improve Ugandan healthcare

Background. Community-based education research and service (COBERS) is a platform for embedding progressive transformative leadership and research-related medical education in Uganda. The leadership development programme (LDP) developed at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda is a key component of COBERS. Health science students at MUST are equipped by means of the LDP with leadership knowledge and skills, and a positive attitude towards leadership and rural communities. The programme involves employing interactive learner-centred education techniques, with the opportunity to implement these skills in a community setting immediately after the training. Objective. To assess the students’ self-reported perception and effectiveness of the precommunity placement LDP at MUST and its impact during the community clinical placement, and to measure the self-reported improvement of students’ knowledge and their application of leadership skills in the community. The results of the evaluation will improve and build on this educational programme. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of the preplacement leadership training course for undergraduates at MUST, as reported by students. Methods. The programme evaluation of the LDP used quantitative pretest and post-test measures and qualitative data from focus group discussions to enrich the evaluation. Data were collected from students before and after the 1-week leadership training course using the same self-administered questionnaire. Variables were then compared to evaluate the impact of the LDP. Results. Prior to the intervention, only 14% of the participants had ever attended a leadership training session. There was significant self-reported change in the task accomplishment skills, interpersonal relationship skills and quality of leadership. Conclusion. The results suggest that the LDP may increase leadership skills among health science students to improve healthcare in Uganda. Our study recommends that this leadership programme be considered for use by Ugandan medical training faculties and similar environments elsewhere.

The influence of out-of-institution environments on the university schooling project of non-traditional students in Uganda

ABSTRACTParticipation and integration of non-traditional students (NTS) in university education is influenced by factors within the institution and those external to the institution, including participants’ self-perceptions and dispositions. The objective of this qualitative study is to draw from the life-world environment component of Donaldson and Graham’s model of college outcomes for adults, to discuss the out-of-institution experiences of NTS participating in university education in Uganda. Findings derive from two elements: first, the social settings of work, family and community including the roles NTS play in these settings. The second element is connected to the first but goes deeper into individual relationships NTS have with important people around them. Both elements were found to be reinforcing and deterring to the NTS’ university schooling project. To this end, we argue that to achieve quality-inclusive university education for all learners, the lifelong learning frameworks must be accentuated, even outside the university.

The dynamics of returns to education in Uganda: National and subnational trends

We assess empirically the changes in returns to education at the subnational level in Uganda using the Uganda National Household Surveys for 2002–3 and 2005–6. Our results indicate that average returns to schooling tended to converge across regions in the last decade. The overall trend in convergence of returns to schooling took place at all levels of educational attainment and this behaviour in returns to education is mostly driven by the dynamics of returns to schooling in urban areas. We analyse subnational convergence in returns to education and unveil deviant dynamics in Northern Uganda. We discuss the potential challenges to inclusive economic growth in Uganda which are implied by our results.

Extent of Institutional Autonomy in Determination of Content and Quality of University Education in Uganda

Outcry about deplorable content and quality of university education in Uganda is widespread. Yet, studies about the same are rare. This paper explored the extent of institutional autonomy in the determination of content and quality of university education in Uganda. The political model of university governance was the guiding theory. Findings revealed that the government, the National Council for Higher Education, and universities determine the content and quality of university education. We conclude that partial institutional autonomy is inherent in the determination of content and quality of university education in Uganda. However, we recommend that universities should be accorded more institutional autonomy in order to achieve better content and quality of education suitable for national development.

Disability inclusion in higher education in Uganda: Status and strategies.

BackgroundUganda has embraced inclusive education and evidently committed itself to bringing about disability inclusion at every level of education. Both legal and non-legal frameworks have been adopted and arguably are in line with the intent of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on education. The CRPD, in Article 24, requires states to attain a right to education for persons with disabilities without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunities at all levels of education.ObjectivesDespite Uganda’s robust disability legal and policy framework on education, there is evidence of exclusion and discrimination of students with disabilities in the higher education institutions. The main objective of this article is to explore the status of disability inclusion in higher education and strategies for its realisation, using evidence from Emong’s study, workshop proceedings where the authors facilitated and additional individual interviews with four students with disabilities by the authors.ResultsThe results show that there are discrimination and exclusion tendencies in matters related to admissions, access to lectures, assessment and examinations, access to library services, halls of residence and other disability support services.ConclusionThe article recommends that institutional policies and guidelines on support services for students with disabilities and special needs in higher education be developed, data on students with disabilities collected to help planning, collaboration between Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPO’s) strengthened to ensure disability inclusion and the establishment of disability support centres.

From recipients to partners: children in malaria education in Uganda

Purpose – Health education that integrates community participation is essential for malaria control. However, children’s participation is not generally as active as that of adults, thus turning children into recipients, as opposed to partners in malaria control. The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of how children can transform from mere recipients to active partners in malaria control efforts, by exploring the implementation of a school health education program in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative multi-case study involving six schools where the health education program was implemented was undertaken, using six focus group discussions with 72 school children and respondent interviews with 14 teachers and district health promotion staff. Findings – Children acted as health messengers, offered peer support and engaged in environmental management to minimize mosquito breeding. The benefits of the school malaria program included increasing access to malaria information, boosting malaria knowledge, improving children’s self-esteem and their skill as health educators. However, implementation was undermined by hostility from adults, inadequate time and tight school schedules, which should be addressed in future malaria programs. Practical implications – The findings suggest that children can play an important role in malaria programs. Therefore, programs should be sufficiently structured to facilitate children’s participation. Practitioners should be encouraged to be conscious of the applicability of the health promoting school approach to malaria control. Originality/value – This research facilitated a more comprehensive understanding of the role children can play in malaria control, thus providing a basis for their involvement in malaria programs. It also adds to a relatively scarce area of literature on the school health-malaria control nexus.

School Management and its Effectiveness in Lower Secondary Education in Uganda: Examining Perceptions of the Practitioners

This paper evaluates effectiveness of lower secondary schools in Uganda with specific focus on how school leadership and management practices impact on students’ achievement. The study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches considering teachers and students as units of analyses. Results indicate that school success is associated with effective instructional leadership, teacher involvement in decision making and policy implementation, teaching and learning in safe as well as orderly school environment, regular and objective monitoring of student achievement, improved relations between teachers and parents. Effective Instructional leadership in efficient schools culminated into positive behavior reinforcement and recognition to students showing exceptional accomplishments and appropriate behavior approaches compared to opportunism that engulfed low achieving schools with less regard to moral principles. Moreover, teachers are often disappointed over little influence to effect decisions even in matters where their interests are involved. In either of the schools, it is pertinent that promoting academic excellence and fostering students’ learning and progress remains crucial tests of effective schooling.

Gaps and gains from engaging districts stakeholders for community-based health professions education in Uganda: a qualitative study.

Community-based education research and service (COBERS) is a brand of community-based education that has been adopted by the Medical Education and Service for All Ugandans consortium. The COBERS programme is aimed at equipping students in health professional education with the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to provide appropriate health care services. For sustainability purposes, the health professional training institutions have made efforts to involve various stakeholders in the implementation of the programme. However, the actual engagement process and outcome of such efforts have not been documented. This paper documents gaps and gains made in engaging district stakeholders for community-based education. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and document review were used to collect data. Atlas.ti, computer software for qualitative data was used to aid analysis. The analysis revealed that the adopted engagement model has registered some gains including increased awareness among district leaders about potential opportunities offered by COBERS such as boosting of human resources at health facilities, opportunities for professional development for health care workers at health facilities, and establishment of linkages between prospective employees and employers. However, the engagement model left some gaps in terms of knowledge, awareness and ownership of the programme among some sections of stakeholders. The apparent information gap about the programme among district stakeholders, especially the political leadership, may hinder concerted partnership. The findings highlight the need for health professional education institutions to broaden the scope of actively engaged stakeholders with the district level.

Towards Equitable Quality Basic Education in Uganda: Insights from Uwezo Learning Assessment Data

The main rationale for the Education for All (EFA) movement and the Millennium Development Goal of achieving Universal Primary Education (UPE) by the year 2015 were premised on the belief that education is a channel of development. Provision of basic primary education for all was and is still regarded as critical in poverty reduction and as a tool to address inequality in society. This paper embraces an outcomes analysis of education attainments in Uganda to examine the strengths and weaknesses of EFA towards narrowing inequality and inequity gaps in the provision of basic education in Uganda. The paper draws from an analysis of data of Uwezo - an initiative that tracks learning outcomes of children aged 6-16 across East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). In Uganda, large scale assessment of learning outcomes has been undertaken since 2011 at household level across 80 districts in the country using primary two literacy and numeracy tasks. In this paper an analysis of the 2013 Uwezo Uganda dataset is undertaken to establish learning outcomes at national and regional level. Drawing from the fi ndings of the analysis, the paper argues that EFA, in its current form, is far from serving as a catalyst for an equalized society. The fact that three out of every ten children in Primary Seven in Uganda are unable to read and do basic numeracy of Primary Two standard indicates that a number of children exit primary education without having ever attained the basic competences, let alone skills to meaningfully contribute to personal, community and national development. There are also major differences in the quality of education and learning outcomes attained across regions and socio-economic groups within the country. As the global community moves to embrace new sustainable development goals on education, the fi ndings of Uwezo assessment seem to imply that a ‘one-size-fi ts all’ education agenda, without a focus on what children learn in varied contexts, would be inadequate.