AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACY SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE THEMATIC CURRICULUM IN EDUCATION POLICY IN UGANDA By Dr. Rebecca Kirunda Kyambogo University

INTRODUCTION Uganda’s Language in Education Policy – What is it? – Why do we have Language in Education policy – Uganda is diversely multilingual what is the implication of this viz-a viz our language in education policy Why the dichotomy?

BACKGROUND Education in Uganda Expectations out of the system Where are we? What has gone wrong? Media is awash with complaints… The thematic aspect Language use

Statement of the problem We are teaching daily but everybody is complaining about our products. Rural/low versus urban/high performers Where have we gone wrong? What can be done?

Impetus In Uganda- excelling in academics is a gateway to a good job which = to a huge salary: a ticket to living in comfort and luxury. But there is nationwide outcry about the reading culture and so limited access to knowledge Many students fail examinations as fail to access information and knowledge-many drop out hence ignorance and poverty thrive. The gap between the rural and the urban is deepening by the day

The Research Interviews – teachers, education officers, parents Observations in the classroom Focus group discussion with learners and parents

findings Unlevelled ground – Size of classes – Medium of instruction – exposure to the language of the textbooks and examination – Easy communication/ interaction with teachers and learning materials Living conditions of teachers/learners – morale, distance, feeding, sanitation etc Socioeconomic conditions Parents’ interest, ability and commitment Perceptions and cultural issues

Findings from observation Urban / high performers Very fluent while answering Followed instructions well Participated fully in discussions Read well and showed understanding of was read Did work quickly and correctly Happy and relaxed classes Active teachers and learners Had required scholastic materials Learners exercise books showed a lot of seriousness Low textbook/learner ratio Rural/ low performers Could hardly express themselves Very few could follow instructions Minimal participation if any Some could hardly read/ stammered Many could not follow what was read Those who did the work were very slow and a lot was not correct Tense classroom environment Labouring tired teachers / learners Many lacked scholastic materials Very little to show in exercise books Big classes 8-10 share a textbook

Findings from learners Urban / high performers They were happy Active and relaxed Interact well with teachers Have the required materials Parents care and help a lot Rural / Low performers Teachers sometimes scare them Tensed up Come to school tired No sufficient materials Study when hungry Parents give little help if any And a lot more

implications If the status quo remains… Two nations in one country The gap gets deeper Productivity will be limited

conclusion There is a lot of difference between the two dichotomous settings socioeconomic status and literacy levels of care givers availability of instructional materials the class enrolment A lot of complacence in rural areas the amount of exposure to and proficiency in the language of examination (Cummins 2000, Baker 2000, 2006, Banda 2007)2000 the use of the different media of instruction LEVEL THE GROUND

Recommendations/way forward The learner – Needs a lot of support and encouragement from teachers and parents – Needs to be fed and given scholastic materials including textbooks – Should be given sufficient exposure to the language of the exams & textbooks Change of cultural inclination and biases In the class A more friendly environment Active participation Required materials Stakeholders Active participation everybody should play their roles to give friendly environment Stop the blame game Teachers/ the school Do your best

Let all of us wake up Thank you all.