E-LEARNING |

With 13.8 million students still at home after the schools were closed due to COVID-19 pandemic, ISBAT University has developed a digital learning platform for them.

The digital platform that will serve secondary school students has homework, revision notes, video classes and interactive sessions for all subjects. Students will have free access and can be accessed on https://vschool.isbatuniversity.ac.ug/

All a student has to do, is to feed the link in internet-supported web, sign up, and a password will automatically be sent to the student's email. It is given password that a student later uses, to access the platform with the reading materials.

The content can only be accessed if a student's computer is supported by the internet. 

The study materials were developed by eminent teachers from various schools based on the National Curriculum Development Centre curriculum and supported by Child's Dream Education Foundation.

This comes as an addition to the Government's study materials posted on the NCDC's digital platform. It is also in addition to the study materials that were distributed early this year.

The online platform was launched by the education ministry's Permanent Secretary Alex Kakooza, on Monday. In his speech, he said "This online product named ISBAT Virtual School will benefit the student community from Senior One to Senior Six; across the nation at the time when we are unable to open all schools due to the prevailing conditions."

Kakooza was also glad to note that the initiative is also supporting many teachers. "It is encouraging to note that these teachers used their valuable time for creating resources and rich content for making this platform a reality during the COVID time and beyond.

Kakooza added, "I commend you, for excellence in offering education services at global standards including this initiative of a virtual school platform; greatly needed by the Government and all our people during this COVID-19 era."

He also noted that the ministry is, "excited to see that our children are going to enjoy this state-of-the-art platform like their peers in the western countries during this pandemic." 

He also encouraged parents to embrace this the platform, which he said, "Is one of the best alternatives to traditional school session."

The Solution Provider and the Project Manager Hareesh Kumar explained that the project is meant to offer an example to the rest of the schools and universities, that there is massive potential to develop the sector to address the new normal, to help students.

Kumar explained, "H.E. The President, Yoweri Museveni, in his last national address noted that most education institutions have massive potential, which we should put to use for the benefit of the whole country. For us, we are coming to fill this gap; to ensure that we lend a hand in helping this country's school students and the Government to help students keep learning."

He added, "As of today, 13.8 million learners are still at home and some of them are not learning, but need to be assisted through some of these digital platforms."

The university's Vice-Chancellor, Col. Dr. K M Mathew said, "This initiative is meant to help millions of students across the country. The only concern would be that more parents need to access the internet, an issue in which if possible, the Government can lend a hand."

"We hope that our digital platform, with its wider nationwide access, will lend a hand in helping parents and students. We also thank the Government for embracing this initiative, which we believe is very important."

Varghese Mandamatam, the Chairperson of the Board, also noted that the digital project is one of the many innovations in education the university is adding to the country, and asked for continued Government support in their endeavors. He added that if the Government allows a tax-free purchase of digital devices by students, it would go a long way in promoting inclusive learning in the country.

Reality of schools' closure

Museveni closed learning institutions in March to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The President, last month allowed schools' candidate classes and churches to reopen, on condition that they follow, the set SOPs. 

However, 13.8 million students had to remain home, and have to revise using all resources at their disposal, with the hope that they will sit promotional examinations to assess what they have learnt, when schools re-open.

President Museveni noted that all the 1.2 million learners, in the first phase of the reopening of the schools, are supposed to follow set SOPs.

So much help needed

The education ministry, through the National Curriculum Development Centre, and Uganda National Examinations Board developed home study materials to facilitate continuity of learning during the lockdown. Distribution of materials was guided by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) population data which depicts the number of children between the ages of 6 -18 in each district and sub-county. These materials were printed and delivered by The New Vision.

The materials were handed over to the district leadership led by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and the District Education Officers. They would then distribute the materials to the sub-county chiefs, for handover to parish chiefs for onward distribution to Local Council Ones to give them to learners in their different homes.

The Director of Basic and Secondary Education Hajj. Ismael Mulindwa, says that the Government's plan was that the material was only supposed to cover 25% of the districts which could hardly be reached by the television and radio station which were broadcasting lessons in urban areas.

However, the COVID-19 intervention report by the Budget Monitoring Accountability Unit report, released last month, showed that this Government intervention was affected by concerns relating to adequacy, effectiveness and the mode of distribution.

Specifically, the report says that the printed materials, were inadequate.

"Education departments monitored the use and distribution of learning materials and learnt that the materials only covered a quarter of the targeted group (Pre-primary to Senior 6). For instance, over 50% of the sub-counties received as few as three copies for all their schools."

The report adds that the education departments used their own resources to photocopy for their sub-counties which were expected to photocopy for schools in their respective parishes. "Learners in private schools and learners with special needs were not taken care of in phase one of the distribution of printed materials," adds the report.