By Sarah Achen Kibisi.
Uganda Prime Minister Hon Robinah Nabbanja, has said the country’s education sector is on course as new lower secondary schools curriculum comes as schools reopen in January 2022.
“Government has recruited and deployed 1,598 staff in the newly completed seed secondary schools under the Uganda Inter-governmental Fiscal Transfers Programme.” She said.
The Prime Minister said the recruitment of the remaining 1,409 posts has also commenced and will be completed in this financial year 2021/2022.
She said :” Staffing and purchase of instructional materials are key areas in ensuring effective implementation of the new schools’ curriculum”.
Institutions of learning across Uganda have been closed since March 2020, following a directive by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The Prime Minister, who is also Leader of Government Business in Parliament , said government has also identified Ushs 45.8b that will support recruitment of 3,594 teaching and non-teaching staff over a two – year period.
Hon. Nabbanja said instructional materials for the lower secondary curriculum in senior one and senior two, have been procured and would be delivered by end of January 2022.
She said: “ The remaining procurement of materials for senior three and senior four is currently ongoing”.
The Prime Minister was this month responding to queries by Bukomansimbi Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Veronica Nanyondo on whether Government has the structural and financial readiness to implement new curriculum and whether stakeholders were involved in its formulation.
The Premier responded saying that government through the National Curriculum Development Center made wide consultations during the formulation of the new lower secondary curriculum.
She added that a new Teacher Education programme to equip teachers with relevant competencies needed to deliver on the curriculum has been developed.
“Funds have been earmarked and provided in the 2021/2022 budget to retool 20,000 teachers of senior one and senior two classes”, She said.
The Premier said a training strategy was developed for retooling the in-service teachers on the new curriculum and will continue in the subsequent years.
She said:” To date, a total of 30,000 teachers out of the projected 50,000 in both government and private schools, have been retooled.”.
Hon Nabbanja also told the House that each of the 6,000 secondary schools, both government and private, had already received copies of the new syllabus■
