News on our desk indicates that there has been a commission launched by the government to review the eduction system in the country. The Government has therefore released a report recommending various changes regarding the education sector.
In accordance to the Education Policy Review Commission (EPRC) which was established in May 2021 being led by Rtd Colonel Nuwe Amanya Mushega consisting of senior educationists and policymakers, there are bound to be many changes in the education system of Uganda.
Among the commission's recommendations is the abolition of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and restructuring the language of instruction used in primary schools.
The commission’s detailed report suggests that the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) be renamed to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Training (MoEST) in order to allow for a more effective leadership role in Uganda’s ever evolving education sector.
The report which was submitted to the government suggests the creation of a Cabinet White Paper that will guide the implementation of these reforms. One of the most important proposals however is the limitation of English as a language of instruction in early primary school.
According to the said report, up to Primary Four (P4), all subjects will be taught in the learners’ mother tongue, with English being introduced only as a subject. It will only be from Primary Five (P5) onwards that English will become the primary language of instruction.
The policy is therefore meant to strengthen literacy and comprehension in local languages before fully transitioning to English. In addition to this, every learner will be required to become fluent in three languages which are English as the international language, Kiswahili which is Uganda’s second official language as well as One Ugandan indigenous language mkst probably the learner’s mother tongue.
Among the policies is also the call in improvement of identification and monitoring in schools. The recommendation therefore is that the National Identification Number (NIN) and National ID be integrated into the school system.
There is also a proposal for The Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) to be abolished in order for a new assessment mode to be introduced for better results.
So instead of a national exam at the end of primary school, the report recommends a continuous assessment model, where learners are evaluated throughout their 11 years of basic education.
This changes are meant to help the Ministry in balancing academic knowledge together with technical and practical skills. It sounds rather advantageous as the report also suggests that Pre-Primary education be fully funded by the Government itself.
What do you think about this?
