(Published on Wednesday, January 26, 2022)
By George Bita
With the reopening of education institutions, secondary school students have been introduced to a competence-based curriculum. Throughout January, Mwalimu is exploring various aspects of the curriculum. In the fourth article in the series, George Bita assesses whether schools have enough funds for the curriculum
Although competence-based curriculum handbooks guide on essential learning aids needed to grasp specific topics; they fall short of addressing key concerns regarding monetary implications.
In the Senior One biology handbook, for example, as learners come to terms with bacterial action, they need to appreciate the process of making yoghurt from milk. This process may prove to be an invaluable money-making venture for the learner later.
Ramula Namulinda, a physics teacher at Iganga High School in Iganga district, says the science lessons demand practical apparatus on a daily basis, which must be purchased.
“If you are to have an activity on types of cells, then you must bring dry and wet cells to the classroom. It is difficult to ask learners to bring from home because they cannot afford it,” Namulinda says.
She says when it comes to light or waves, it may require items such as lenses in significant quantities, which cannot be improvised.
“In the past, some schools would leave out practical work until just before mocks to save on expenditure. However, now it is the new normal as assessment under the competence-based curriculum is at the end of every topic,” Namulinda says.
Adam Wanduzu, a biology and chemistry teacher at Jinja Secondary School in Jinja city, says with the competence-based curriculum, learning sciences may prove costly.
“Fruits such as avocado, tomatoes and onions cost money and you cannot tell students to bring them as it is usually done in primary schools. From experience, some schools have even been post-poning practicals to Senior Four third term over fears of such high expenditure,” he says.
Arthur Mbalule, the headmaster of Busoga College Mwiri, observes that since time immemorial, practical subjects have been expensive to maintain.
“However, the new curriculum encourages learners and teachers to be innovative. Once we bring in innovative measures, something that could have cost much ends up comparatively cheap after using the cheaper alternative,” Mbalule says.
He says some schools have often put the burden on parents and this may still be the case to offset demands of the implementation of the competence-based curriculum.
Margaret Bikingi, the headmistress of Muyonga High School in Mbale district, says the challenge with the new curriculum has been felt more by private schools that do not get capitation grants from the Government.
“The public schools will benefi t from competence-based curriculum funds, but for private it is a different story and yet we are not meant to increase fees. This leaves one wondering how we shall achieve expected results,” she laments
Can Schools Afford New Curriculum?
Practical Package
Wanduzu explains that since it is no longer the teacher talking and learners taking lesson notes, the students need learning aids for all subjects. In sciences, they require apparatuses that include microscopes, chemicals and specimens to work with every day.
“In arts subjects, the children will require clay or sand to make models as well as items like sellotape, markers and manila paper to work with.”
Wanduzu adds that for physical education, there is a need for balls, nets, indoor games, rackets, goggles for swimming and sportswear.
Namulinda argues that since children need learning aids to facilitate education, providing them will come at a cost.
Computerised Curriculum
One of the requirements of the new curriculum is the use of information technology. “For any topic to be completed, learners must have had exposure to information technology,” Francis Onyait, the director of studies at St Francis School of the Blind-Madera in Soroti city, says.
“This must be in form of a video clip on YouTube or any other appropriate website. By so doing, the teacher would take learners through questions to prove they learnt something from the presentation,” he says.
However, Onyait is quick to add that some rural schools may fail to integrate ICT into the competence-based curriculum as required.
“I know of schools that lack computers. The only way they can do it is by bringing smartphones and similar gadgets on board,” he says. Concurring with Onyait, Reagan Okware, a chemistry teacher at Pallisa SS in Pallisa district, says the status quo demands for more resources, especially as far as science subjects are concerned.
“Each topic needs information technology integration to be complete. How do you expect schools in areas with low Internet connectivity to cope?” Okware asks. He says this may call for the use of smartphones or tablets by learners, although such gadgets had hitherto been banned in school compounds.
“To avoid this dilemma, the schools may have to get a computer lab that can accommodate large populations. This, of course, comes with the Internet budgets yet connectivity is now expensive after the recent introduction of a tax on data by the Government,” Okware says.
Namulinda says in a situation where a school lacks computers, a teacher is allowed to use own smartphone, tablet, iPad or laptop to deliver the IT input for a given topic.
“Those videos on most topics have been uploaded on YouTube. So one simply needs to access them and show the learners,” she emphasises.
Insufficient Budgets
The Government had committed an estimated sh72b to roll out the new secondary school curriculum in early 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic ruined the planned takeoff.
Sam Kuloba, the commissioner of public secondary schools, says sh10b was secured in the 2020/2021 budget to start the curriculum.
“For the entire year, it should be about sh40b. About sh124b was required to roll out the entire new curriculum, but due to funding constraints, the ministry opted for funding on a yearly basis,” he says.
John Makawa, a biology teacher at Budumba Secondary School in Butaleja district, explains that the education ministry stopped schools from hiking fees yet they have a demanding new curriculum to handle.
“If a learner was paying tuition of say sh800,000, this money had been budgeted for under the old arrangement. Now with a competence-based curriculum, a lot more is needed to make the learning meaningful,” Makawa says.
He argues that even the government capitation grants have specific items to cater for like stationery, sports and games equipment, with nothing for competence-based curriculum.
“It is fine teachers can improvise, but there comes a time when this isn’t possible. If, for example, a teacher is handling the formation of yoghurt from milk, one cannot get a substitute for milk, which must be bought,” he says.
Henry Kabulo, the Bugiri district education officer, encourages schools to work within their budgets to attain set goals under the new curriculum.
“I see primary school teachers going out of their way to improvise. They collect banana fibres, stones, sand and clay, among others and use them in class, so let their secondary school counterparts borrow a leaf,” Kabulo notes.
He adds that usually the start of any process has lots of uncertainties but once on the way, things work out.
“Let our school administrators understand that no amount of money is really enough. It takes a disciplined spirit to overcome whatever obstacle with limited resources,” Kabulo advises.
Challenges Cited
Goretti Kisakye, a teacher of English and literature at Old Kampala Secondary School in Kampala city, says the big number of students expected in Senior One and Two may render group discussions challenging in teaching.
“Remember big numbers call for more teachers. However, many of these were not trained and have been on a long COVID-19 break,” Kisakye stresses.
Deogratious Ojok, a biology teacher at Trinity Senior Academy Bwebajja in Wakiso district, says with the new curriculum, learners in biology class would need to have bean and maize seeds to plant and observe growth on their own, which may not be easy in an urban school with limited compound space.
“In such a scenario, the urban child may use soil-less planting and have a different perception from that of a learner in a rural setting with ample land. Alternatively, the school administration would have to incur extra costs that would be pushed to parents, leading to increased fees,” he says.
Suggested Solutions, Improvising Inputs
Henry Kabulo, the Bugiri district education officer, encourages a smooth working relationship between parents and teachers to make competence-based curriculum successful.
“The Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) is one avenue through which resources are secured from parents to aid school affairs. This can also be considered during the annual meetings as a channel for funding the competence-based curriculum to better levels,” he suggests.
Arthur Mbalule, the headmaster of Busoga College Mwiri, says teachers as well as learners can push their innovation to remarkable levels by making use of free items in the school neighbourhood to bring about much-needed learning.
“Why, for example, can you go to buy a rope for an agriculture lesson when there is a sisal plant growing wildly in the nearby bush that presents raw material for making ropes?” he says.
Dr Dennis Mugimba, the education ministry spokesperson, calls upon school heads to desist from raising fees under the guise of implementing the competence-based curriculum.
“The new curriculum was rolled out with due consideration to all implications including monetary ones. In most instances, improvisation is the key to cost-cutting as we are simply taking away the monopoly of the teacher to a student-centred approach to learning,” Mugimba says. He says school heads have been warned against any hikes in school fees and in case any does so, the extra money will be pushed forward to next term’s tuition.
Improvising Inputs
Mark Opolot, a physics and chemistry teacher at Ngora High School, explains that instead of buying expensive wires and coloured beads to give learners to demonstrate bonding in atoms; one can use banana fibre and dry fruits.
“In a rural setting it is easy to get fine fibre and seeds of Lantana camara (locally called kapanga in Busoga). The children can get paint from the art room and paint the seeds in varying colours, depending on the respective atom to understand how pairing of atoms occurs in bonding,” Opolot says.
Wilson Wetyaki, a teacher of geography at Bukoyo Secondary School, notes that models made out of anthill soil can enable learners during the lesson to appreciate physical features like rift valley, mountains and hills.
Stakeholders’ Views
Esther Amaro, parent from Gotapwou village, Abim district
As parents, we often help in the learning process. It won’t be bad at all to assist schools have the necessities in place.
Muhammad Ssengendo, teacher at Busembatia SS, Bugweri district
In most of these instances, the burden falls back to the parent. Once the learning tools aren’t available, school heads will task the parents or guardians with providing aids to make the competence-based curriculum a success.
Edinansi Logose, parent at Nakasongola town, Nakasongola district
The government that introduced this new curriculum should be held responsible for all needs. The alternative would be to drop it and leave the less costly type we’ve been using.
