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CHALLENGES FACING THE TEACHING OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN UGANDA
Primary schools in Uganda are faced with an ever-increasing demand to implement a curriculum based, largely on the traditional academic subjects – English, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. The pressures put on the teachers to ‘produce results’ in these traditional subjects are overwhelming. These pressures originate from the parents and the school owners, run down to the Head teachers who transfer them to the teachers. At every step down the ladder, the pressure is more than doubled, so that by the time it reaches the teacher, it is almost unbearable.
With the introduction and induction of IT in Primary schools, teachers have become torn between toeing the traditional line or going with the contemporary IT wave. Here, below are some of the challenges faced by the induction of IT education into the Primary School curriculum in Uganda:
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Results Pressure
The goodness of a Primary School in Uganda is gauged by how well its candidates perform at the National Examination called P.L.E done after seven years of Primary education. In a bid to impress, Head teachers of Primary schools force teachers to fore-go all co-curricular activities like gardening, home economics, crafts, physical education etc and force them to put all emphasis on drumming examinable material into pupils’ heads. The pupils will not be given any time to engage in non-examinable disciplines. The Ministry of Education policy emphasizes co-curricular engagement but the pressure on the teachers from the parents, the community and the school owners overrides all professional and policy reason.
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Non-examinable Discipline
Computer education is not examinable at Primary school level and so teachers and school owners look at this a s a waste of time, teaching a subject that is not examinable. The teachers forget one very important thing and this is BY THE TIME THESE CHILDREN GROW UP, COMPUTER WILL BE A WAY OF LIFE.
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Absence of trained teachers
Most teacher training institutions in Uganda don’t integrate computer literacy into their curriculum. This means that when teachers qualify, they are computer-illiterate. How can a computer-illiterate teacher be expected to teach pupils any IT? Such a teacher will not be able to appreciate the importance of IT in a child’s life.
In this direction, ITCT-Africa has come up with a programme of training a team of multiplier teachers who can reach out and train their fellow teachers and pupils about the use and importance of computers
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Absence of Equipment
Poverty,the inability to manufacture computers in the country and high transport costs are some of the few factors that come into play to make computer hardware unavailable in most Uganda schools. Most schools in Uganda cannot afford to buy, let alone maintain even one computer set. The few that own them, do not have enough for their pupils. In most schools the ratios stand at 1 computer to 10 pupils. The pupils will crowd around the machine, each eager to lay a little finger on the keyboard. The struggle degenerates into quarrel and later into a a fight as the muscular ones subdue the weak ones. The teacher will be forced to spend more time arbitrating than imparting knowledge.
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Power
Power distribution is still very poor especially to the rural areas in Uganda. Schools that would consider buying computers are forced to abandon the idea because of lack of power. Also, Uganda’s power is rather unstable or low in areas. This means that damage to computer hardware will be considerable. In areas, low power means that the machines will not be able to perform.
Power charges are another power setback in Uganda. Computers are heavy power guzzlers and power tariffs in Uganda are rather high. Rural schools look at a computer power bill as a wastage of valuable financial.resources.
Finally, the development of computer education in Primary schools in Uganda requires a bilateral cooperation between the Government and the key players in the education sector.
One thing is certain: Computer is about the most fascinating gadget to the contemporary child. Remember these children were born into the computer age. It is part of them. Let us do every thing possible to accord them the opportunity to learn how to use the computer
Jackson Wavamunno
The writer is the Computer Instructor and IT Technician for all Sir Apollo Kaggwa Schools in Uganda. Sir Apollo Kaggwa Schools is a chain of seven high-profile schools in Uganda.
