Katikkiro Launches Fact Findings Report by Uwezo on Primary Education

Katikkiro Eng J.B. Walusimbi has condemned schools that simply promote children to upper classes without assessing their performances.

Katikkiro who was launching the Uwezo Uganda key report findings on primary Education for Buganda region at Pope Paul Memorial Hotel in Kampala on Friday said that many schools simply promote children to upper classes even when they have not passed.

He recalled that in the past, weak children could repeat some classes to help them understand what they learn but that this system was dropped and all children are simply passed on to the next class which he said has led deteriorations in the quality of education offered to the children.

Uwezo is a regional initiative that aims at improving competencies in literacy and numeracy among children aged 6 to 16 years in Eastern Africa which is achieved through an innovative, civic-driven and public accountability approach to social change.

In their 2011 report, where 16 districts, 480 villages and 14,749 children were assessed, Uwezo discovered that many children in primary schools around Buganda still find it difficult to read in English and do basic mathematics.

The report indicated that Only 3 of 10 children in P3 –P5 could read and understand an English story text of P2 level while 2 of 10 children in P6-P7 could not read and understand an English story text of P2.

The report also indicated that about 5 of 10 children in P3 – P5 could solve numerical written division sums pf P2 level correctly while 2 of 10 in P6- P7 could not solve numerical written division sums of P2 level correctly.

This angered Katikkiro who wondered how a P6 pupil could not pass a P2 examination paper and called upon local leaders in Buganda to join efforts and find a lasting solution to the problem before it can completely infect the entire Kingdom’s education sector.

The report also indicated a lax among parents who do not visit their children’s schools to talk about their children’s learning tendencies with only 5% of the parents visiting their children’s schools.

Katikkiro warned parents against neglecting their children’s education by leaving it entire for the school and the government which he said is not in order at all.

The report also carried national findings which were carried out in 48,000 households, 80 districts 2,400 schools with 88,373 children assessed.

The report indicates that Out of the 2, 400 schools visited across the country, 9 of 10 an equivalent of 92% of the children in P3 could not read a P2 English level story text and that 1 of 5 of the children in P3 could not even recognize letters of the English Alphabet.

The report furthermore indicates that only 7% of the children in P3 could read and comprehend an English text of class P2. Only 7.2% of the girls in P3 could read and understand while 6.8% of the boys in P3 could read and understand an English story text of P2.

It was also discovered that only 17 % of the children in class P7 could not ready and understand an English story text of class level P2. The boys hand an upper hand in reading with 82.6% of the boys in class P7 who could read and understand a story text of class P2 compared to 82.5% of the girls.

The report also indicates that private schools hand an upper hand compared to government aided schools where 17.5% of the children in P3 in private schools could read and comprehend a story text compared to 4.1% of the children in government aided schools. However, the trend changes in upper classes where 81.2% of the children in class P7 in government aided schools could read and understand an English story text of class P2 compared to 87.3% of the children in private schools.

Uwezo also discovered that 22% of the children in P3 could not solve numerical written division sum of P2 while more that one of 10 in class P7 could not solve numerical written division sums of P2 level.

The boys also hand an upper hand in mathematics with 22.8% of the boys in P3 who could solve a numerical written division sums of P2 level compared to 20.9% of the girls. 89.1% of the boys in class P7 could solve numerical division sums of P2 compared to 88.8 of the girls in class 7.

Private schools also beat government aided schools in mathematics with 35.1% of the children in class P3 in private schools who could solve numerical written division sums of the class P2 compared 18.2% of the children in government aided schools. 87.8% of the children in class P7 could solve numerical written division sums of class P2 compared to 91.4 % in private schools.

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