Education ministry strengthens teacher capacity to deliver life skills to learners
Rosette Nanyanzi, a gender advisor in the education ministry’s gender unit, said strengthening teachers was important because they interact with learners regularly and are best placed to identify and respond to challenges affecting young people.
Some of the participants representing 11 USEEP schools in Kampala and Lyantonde hold the life skills toolkits they received after the training at Luigi Giussani Foundation in Kampala.
The Ministry of Education and Sports is strengthening teachers’ capacity to provide life skills education to learners as part of efforts to create safer, more inclusive and supportive secondary schools.
The initiative is being implemented under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP), particularly Subcomponent 1.2, which focuses on ensuring the safety and protection of children.
The Ministry, in partnership with Luigi Giussani Foundation (LGF) and Science Teaching and Innovations Africa (STIA), conducted a three-day life skills training for senior male teachers, senior female teachers and club patrons from USEEP-supported secondary schools.
The training, held at the Luigi Giussani Foundation offices in Kampala, was facilitated by national life skills trainers from the Private Education Development Network (PEDN).
The training uses the Ministry’s Life Skills Toolkit, which covers competencies including self-esteem, teamwork, critical thinking, communication, empathy, problem-solving and leadership.
Rosette Nanyanzi, a gender advisor in the education ministry’s gender unit, said strengthening teachers was important because they interact with learners regularly and are best placed to identify and respond to challenges affecting young people.
“Who is that person that is close to this young person? It is the teacher,” she said, stressing the need to equip teachers with the skills required to support learners.
Nanyanzi said young people are influenced by peers, television and social media and that teachers need to understand adolescents in order to support them effectively.
“You cannot give what you don’t have,” she said, emphasising that educators themselves need the competencies they are expected to pass on to learners.
The training adopts a cascade approach. Teachers who participate are expected to transfer the knowledge and skills gained to learners through classroom sessions, clubs, assemblies, mentorship activities and peer-support initiatives.
Waladde Abdulatif, a teacher at Kansanga Seed Secondary School, presents during the USEEP life skills training at Luigi Giussani Foundation in Kampala.
“Our USEEP programme officers will continue to work in 116 schools to train and develop the capacity of teachers to institutionalise life skills development among learners. LGF and STIA support 116 schools in 65 districts across the country under USEEP,” Timothy Murungi, the LGF communication officer, said.
Joy Mukisa, a national life skills trainer, said the competencies being taught were needed by people of all ages. “Once we have understood the competencies, adolescents become better students; understanding competencies makes better teachers and better parents,” she said.
She cautioned teachers against rushing through the toolkit’s lessons, urging them to follow its instructions and exercises closely.
“Let the adolescents do group work and present the work as suggested. Through the group work, they will learn, for example, teamwork and expression,” she said.
Pamela Namugobe, a co-trainer, said life skills such as cooperation and teamwork cannot be taught effectively through classroom instruction alone.
Teacher Waladde Abdulatif of Kansanga Seed Secondary School said the training was transformative and inspired participants to become agents of soft skills.
“Most times teachers focus on academic performance in schools but forget life skills, which are actually fundamental for anyone to be successful in life,” he said.
More than 35 teachers attended the training from schools including Mackay Memorial S.S.S Nateete, Kansanga Seed Secondary School, St Denis Sebugwawo-Ggaba, St Peters S.S. Kibiri, Nateete Muslim High School, Kololo High School, Kololo SSS, Kyemamba Seed Secondary School, Luzira SSS, Upper Prisons Inmates SS-Luzira and Kampala High School.