Soft Power Education

The Problem

Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced in Uganda in 1997 with the express aim of improving "access, equity and quality" in primary school education. Due to UPE, enrolment in our partner schools has tripled in the past five years. This huge increase in pupils per school has resulted in very high pupil to teacher ratios together with an inadequate number of trained teachers and a severe lack of teaching aids, equipment and educational resources. Subsequently, the quality of learning in UPE schools has been reported to be poor. The poor quality and consistency of education provided in partner schools is evidenced through the poor exam results achieved by pupils and high drop-out rates.

The Solution

To enable schools to counteract the negative aspects of UPE through the provision of innovative teaching methods, educational resources and teaching aids relevant to the primary school curriculum whilst also focusing classes on life skills.

The Aims

• To increase knowledge and retention of life skills and curriculum based subjects for P6 pupils
• To increase confidence of pupils and thereby increase performance and participation at the partner schools and AEC
• To promote continued and increased interest in education
• To increase self eestem and motivation of pupils to encourage them to continue with education
• To build the capacity and skills of teachers from partnering schools
• To empower female students 

The Project

Our project will meet the needs brought about by the introduction of UPE by

• Bringing all P6 pupils from 27 partner schools to the AEC for 2 separate day-long visits
• Bringing 60 pupils per visit
• Conducting 4 practical and interactive education sessions per year in Art, Drama, ICT and English Story Telling (through Library)
• Conducting outreach in schools with all enrolled P6 pupils from the 27 partnering schools, covering Agriculture and Science
• Delivering classes which boost self esteem and promote encouragement from all teachers for pupils to stay in school 
• Delivering classes designed to enable pupils to experience a practical and hands on approach to learning.
• Delivering classes on life skills, including first aid, sanitation, sustainable agriculture techniques, observation and problem solving skills, reproductive health, malaria prevention, nutrition and communication, ensuring that what is taught can be an enduring skill to be taken home in the event of non-continuation at school
• Limiting class sizes to 15 - 172 per department and each department to be led by a qualified AEC tutor 
• Utilising relevant equipment or educational resources that pupils have never experienced before - microscopes, live bacteria, computer lab, paints, a theatre with a stage, walking on stairs and reading books

Anticipated Outcomes

The opportunity to gain practical knowledge of subjects has been proven to have a positive effect on the abilities of students to remember what they are taught. Therefore we anticipate that as a result of these practical and hands-on learning sessions 3,000 pupils each year will gain a greater understanding of the subjects covered. The small class sizes enable each pupil to use equipment practically, thereby involving everyone in all aspects of the learning session. This will not only help with exams but they will also be taking vital information back to their communities such as agricultural techniques or sanitation information. The learning sessions are designed to be interactive and learner-focused with enjoyment and fun being integral to the learning. This type of learning will engender an enthusiasm for subjects and for learning which in turn will have a knock-on effect of encouraging pupils to attend school and remain in school. Although it is a long-term goal and difficult to measure over five years, this improvement in education will greatly increase the pupils' long-term chances of breaking the cycle of poverty in which they live.

To date:

• 2760 students have attended the AEC in the last 2 years
• During 2007 and 2008, 4 education sessions were conducted successfully at the AEC
• During 2007 and 2008, 4 outreach sessions were conducted successfully at 23 partner schools
• During 2007 and 2008, 46 teachers accompanied the students and attended the classes

A review was undertaken at the end of 2008 to make improvements to the programme with the following outcomes for 2009

• The pupils now attend 2 classes per visit with each lasting 2.5 hours, enhancing pupil participation and allowing the tutors plenty of time
• A new library was opened and a Library Session introduced as part of the day at the AEC
• Science and Agriculture became lessons taught during outreach sessions at the partner schools
• All P6 pupils able to attend (compared to only 60 during 2007 and 2008)
• Participating partner schools increased from 23 to 27

The Budget

Budget covers transport, resources and lunch costs for this huge project. Staff costs are met by other projects as staff from all departments provide learning sessions to pupils.

Exchange rate used £1 = 2800 shillings

Please note that wages in the budget above are for the Amagezi Education Centre as a whole: all staff are involved in other projects alongside the Pupils Project.

Volunteering Opportunities

Unfortunately, due to the language skills required for working with primary school pupils on this specific project we are unable to offer specific teaching as a volunteer opportunity. However, you are more than welcome to assist with reading in the Library Sessions and assisting in the ICT lab - helping pupils to find their way around the computers.