Community-Led Learning Proves Ability to Improve Lower Primary Learning Outcomes

Alice Namuwaya, a mother of a twelve-year-old girl, found herself in a confusing situation when she attempted to enroll her daughter, who had been living with her grandmother in Kamuli district, in a school in Masulita sub-county, Wakiso district. Much to her dismay, she discovered that her daughter was advised to repeat lower classes.  

"She should be in primary six by now, but it broke my heart that she couldn't answer questions meant for primary three children. Basic addition is a challenge for her, and multiplication is even more daunting. Ironically, her younger sister, is ten years old and already in primary five, and she's doing much better," Namuwaya lamented during an interview with our reporter.         

Namuwaya's story reflects a larger issue within the country's education system where many students are in school, but assessments reveal that they may not be making meaningful progress. This problem is worsened when comparing urban and rural areas, as well as the disparities between affluent and underprivileged children. 

According to the 2022 survey conducted by Uwezo Uganda in its ninth National Learning Assessment Report titled "Are Our Children Learning?" a staggering 50.7 percent of primary three students could not even identify the letters of the alphabet, categorizing them as non-readers. Furthermore, 31.3 percent of the same group of learners struggled with basic numeracy tasks.             

Roger Cunningham, education expert and technical director at Strengthening Education Systems for Improved Learning (SESIL) program, perceives this as an educational crisis, emphasizing that a significant part of the problem lies in the fact that the public becomes aware of the challenge far too late using Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) as a gauge.  "By the time we reach PLE, it's already too late. It's very late. The crucial foundation should be established much earlier," stated the British education expert during a conference held in Kampala.             

Dr. Mary Gorreti Nakabugo, an education expert at Uwezo Uganda, also emphasizes the critical importance of early lower primary education in shaping learners’ futures, yet it has been neglected for too long. She underscores that enhancing literacy and numeracy outcomes in the early stages of learning can truly revolutionize the entire education system.             

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The dire state of lower primary education learning outcomes has been a recurring issue, with various reports, including those conducted by the Ministry of Education and its affiliated agencies, highlighting the problem year after year. The question which has remained unanswered is, what is the solution?       

In 2018, in response to this pressing question, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with its partners, launched the Strengthening Education Systems for Improved Learning (SESIL) program. This initiative aimed to enhance the quality and equity of measurable learning outcomes in lower primary education. 

Funded to the tune of 27.4 million by the UKAid, SESIL focused on initiatives that involved supporting community-led learning. The program was rolled out across 15 districts, spanning from West Nile to Bugisu and Bukedi regions reaching 340,000 children.   

Laura Garforth, team leader, that the program set out community-led learning approaches where they supported volunteers to teach basic literacy and numeracy to lower primary learners.  “After five, results are speaking volumes, CLL (community-led learning) works at scale to improve foundational learning; 44 percent improved literacy and 69 percent numeracy,” she says adding that if scaled up the initiative has the potential to improve the learning outcomes.       

      

According to the available data collected before, during, and after the program, it is evident that 86 percent of the learners who enrolled in the program had no prior ability to read any syllables or words, while 20 percent lacked basic numerical skills.      

    

The Configuration of the Initiative        

In areas where there were no schools or where schools were located at a considerable distance from the communities, the project working with the communities and parents established small learning centers in homes and identified communal locations, with a collection of around 25 children attending.          

Volunteer teachers, often senior four-leavers, were provided with crash courses on how to instruct the learners and were equipped with textbooks to guide their teaching. This approach was also utilized and came in handy during the periods of school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In areas where formal schools were available, these centers served as meeting spaces where learners could gather for a few hours on weekends and holidays to participate in remedial sessions. Who covers the volunteers' expenses? The responsibility lies with the community and parents to identify volunteers and find ways to compensate them. 

But, Garforth suggests that if the government were to adopt this approach, it would require a budget of 24,000 per child every three months. But, this amount exceeds the annual government expenditure on primary school learners, which is set at 17,000 per year.  

Cleophas Mugyenyi, who serves as the Commissioner of Basic Education at the Ministry of Education, acknowledges through SESIL, they have obtained evidence that community-led learning can go far beyond enhanced numeracy and literacy but has also engaged the community and parents in their children's education. He encourages local governments to take the lead in championing similar initiatives in their respective areas.            

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Recognizing the success of community-driven education, both communities and local governments where it has been tested are exploring ways to sustain this initiative. Despite the conclusion of the funded project, certain local entities have independently supported this effort, benefitting over 8,000 children.        

To illustrate, Michael Mali, the Education Officer for the Moyo District, expresses his appreciation for community-led learning. He mentions that they are currently in the process of developing a by-law which, among other provisions, will establish Village Education Committees responsible for ensuring the continued implementation of community-led learning in their respective areas. 

However, the lingering question remains: will this initiative still be in place five or ten years from now?    

Old model?         

Although the officials at the education ministry and in local government appeared to be impressed by this UK-funded project, it's important to note that the community-led learning model for young children has been in practice in various regions of the country for quite some time, without government support.    

This informal model has been informally adopted in many rural areas, where children could be assembled in specific locations for an individual to provide them with basic literacy and numeracy skills. In fact, several nursery schools trace their existence to such an arrangement.        

Regardless of whether it's an old or new concept, Dr. Nakabugo suggests that as the government explores ways to ensure universal access to education and deliver quality education, which can be costly and long-term, community-led learning, even with just mobilization support, can have a significant impact.        

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