Democracy as a way of life in new curriculum

MS Uganda’s democracy project is now playing a part in the new thematic curriculum for Primary One. Together with the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) MS Uganda have developed the teaching guide “Me and my Family: Primary One”.

On February 5th 2007, schools all over Uganda reopens after the long break. Pupils and teachers come back as they normally do, refreshed and ready to begin a new term. But something had changed. The beginning of this term marks the beginning for a new thematic curriculum for Primary One.

Together with the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) MS Uganda has developed the teaching guide “Me and my Family: Primary One”. The guide is for teachers of Primary One Pupils and part of the new national thematic curriculum which kicks off February 5th 2007.

Vernacular languages

Already the new thematic curriculum has received a lot of attention. First of all 33,000 teachers have had to undergo training in the new curriculum, which proved to be a bit of a task. Secondly, opinion makers, parents and also some teachers have raised concern about the decision to start teaching the young pupils in their own languages Lunyakitara, Luyankole, Lukiga, Lumasaaba, Luganda, Lusoga, Luo and others before they are introduced to English.

Holistic approach to teaching

Yet, the new thematic curriculum is not merely teaching children in their local languages, but rather a holistic new approach to teaching. It provides for more understandable monitoring and evaluation of pupils' progress. It also offers room for self-appraisal on the part of the teacher and enables the teacher and the learners to get resources from the immediate environment. The thematic curriculum is designed to reflect the way young children understand the world around them and the type of knowledge and skill they need to acquire. Its contents remain basically the same as those of the 1999 curricular but the approach is new and designed to ensure improved skills in all subject including literacy and mathematics.

Life skills and values
Part of the new curriculum for primary school is a component called life skills and values.  The idea behind life skills and values is to stimulate the pupils to independent, creative thinking. These are the kind of skills which are useful in the pupils’ further education.

Part of the review process
MS Uganda plays a role in the new thematic curriculum. The civic education materials “Democracy as a way of life” serve as background material for the life skill and value component in the new thematic curriculum. Since 2004 MS Uganda’s democracy team has participated in the review of the national curriculum for Primary and Secondary School spearheaded by the National Curriculum Development Centre.

Teachers training guides
MS Uganda’s input has been based on MS’s own experiences with her partners. But all the materials have also been tested and readjusted according to inputs from primary schools and primary teachers colleges in 5 different districts of Uganda; Kasesse, Masindi, Mbale, Kampala and Arua. Together with the National Curriculum Development Centre MS Uganda have specifically developed the teaching guide “Me and my Family: Primary One. Simultaneously, with the introduction of the thematic curriculum for Primary Two and Primary Three, MS Uganda in cooperation with NCDC will develop teaching training material for the same levels.