Newspapers boost reading culture in Omoro district school
Angom calls for more copies of Weekend Vision and Toto Magazine saying; “The 25 copies cannot serve all the pupils.” Primary One alone has 169 learners who have to share the 25 copies of Toto Magazine with their colleagues in Primary Two and Three, who are over 250.
PASS PLE caters for Primary Six and Seven candidates, helping them prepare for their final primary examinations. (Credit: Ritah Mukasa)
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“Our pupils have developed a reading culture and also opened a reading club thanks to the newspapers we receive every week,” Betty Linda Angom, head teacher of Acet Primary School in Acet Town Council, Omoro district of Northern Uganda, says.
She appreciates Save the Children organisation for introducing the Newspapers in Education (NiE) programme, which she says has benefitted many learners in this school, which struggles with a lack of teaching and learning aids coupled with teacher shortages.
Yet pupils also lack classrooms and furniture. According to Angom, the school has more learners (1,095) than the classrooms and human resources can contain.
Primary Six pupils at Acet Primary School use newspapers as revision materials. (Credit: Ritah Mukasa)
However, Angom calls for more copies of Weekend Vision and Toto Magazine saying; “The 25 copies cannot serve all the pupils.” Primary One alone has 169 learners who have to share the 25 copies of Toto Magazine with their colleagues in Primary Two and Three, who are over 250.
Meanwhile, Benard Bongomin, a teacher for English, Music and Religious Education, says they opened a reading club, which has helped to create a reading culture and manage the newspapers as well.
Every week, Bongomin, the club patron, receives the newspapers and distributes them among the class teachers, reserving a few copies for the 30 members of the club who act as ambassadors in their respective classes. They share what they read in the week’s newspapers to entice others to read. They also ensure newspapers are used responsibly by both the teachers and learners.
About the NiE Programme
Every week, Acet Primary School receives 25 copies of Weekend Vision and Toto Magazine under the Newspapers in Education (NiE) programme, which is being funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) through Save the Children, an organisation that saves and cares for children around the world. NORAD is implementing a five-year programme from 2024 to 2028 called “Transforming the Future-For and with Children” in Acholi and Karamoja regions. The program aims to ensure that all children enjoy their rights to survival, protection, development and participation in a safe, inclusive, accountable and resilient environment.