The ministry of education and sports has sealed collaboration with Plan International Uganda involving over sh14b (US$4m) to promote early childhood education through a four-year project.

The state minister for primary and basic education, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, through the director basic education at the ministry, Cleophus Mugyenyi, shortly before the official launch of the Playful Futures Project at Kampala Serena Hotel Friday, revealed that the government was committed to ensuring that pre-primary education service delivery in the country meets the minimum standards.

Greg Lavender, Head of Programs Plan International

“We shall make sure that we set and enforce basic requirements and minimum standards (BRMS) and ensure enabling environment that promotes and fosters better learning outcomes for children aged 3-6 years,” she said.

The project that will be implemented by Plan International Uganda is being funded by LEGO Foundation.

With the hope of rolling, it out to the entire country according to the project director, Jimmy Obbo, it is being piloted in the six districts of Lira, Nebbi, Alebtong, Kamuli, Buyende and Tororo until 2026.  

The project will support the integration of play in the learning of children.

According to Kaducu, despite the high enrolment in primary, learning outcomes at both the primary and pre-primary levels remain low, reflecting a need to strengthen foundational skills through early childhood programs.

“Although curriculum and learning frameworks incorporate child-centred and play-based approaches, early childhood educators continue to struggle to implement such practices.

I hope that Playful Futures Project will work with ECCE educators and other stakeholders to strengthen the delivery of learning through play approaches in their daily classroom routines,” she stated.

The minister indicated that a strong pre-primary level would ensure life-long learning and that this can be secured through the support of partners such as Plan International.

2008 Education Act states that pre-primary education is to be run by private agencies or persons to provide education to children from two years to five years.

It also provides that the financing of the education shall be the responsibility of the parents or guardians.

The ministry according to Kaducu has since developed materials to support the delivery of quality inclusive pre-primary education.

These include the learning framework, caregivers’ guide to the learning framework, guidelines for the establishment of ECCE centres, the caregivers’ training framework, community mobilization manual, centre management committee training manual and the draft ECCE policy to ensure quality ECCE services.

Greg Lavender, the head of programme strategy Plan International Uganda, said the project will increase access of 60,000 children to quality ECCE education in the six benefiting districts.

“The launch of the project comes at a critical time when school learning has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project aims to ensure that ECCE caregivers' communities are prepared to support children to learn through play and active engagement, even during this COVID-19 situation using home-based methods of learning,” he said.

He added that Plan’s extensive experience in implementing holistic, integrated and gender transformative early childhood learning programming over the years, will enable the project to achieve better learning outcomes.

“We shall also leverage existing partnerships with the education and sports ministry and other partners, universities and training institutions to amplify project results and learnings,” he said.