CHILDREN | LIFE | SKILLS

KAMPALA - Educationists and researchers in education across East Africa have developed tools for assessing life skills among children.

The tools, researchers said, will help education stakeholders to evaluate the prevalence of skills such as self-awareness and respect, which are part of the focus of the new lower secondary school curriculum.

The development is contained in the ongoing Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE) project, implemented by Uwezo Uganda and Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education (LGIHE).

ALiVE is an initiative of the Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI) in East Africa, a network of over 70 organisations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, that are working to support the improvement of learning outcomes for children.

The ministry of education introduced a new lower secondary curriculum in 2020, focusing on skills and competencies away from the old curriculum that was theory oriented.

Besides the technical competencies, the new pedagogy aims at providing to the learners 21st century skills which include; critical thinking, creativity, collaboration or teamwork, communication, information literacy, ICT, and flexibility. It is currently implemented in seniors one and two.

The ALiVE initiative, which focuses on four competencies: self-awareness, collaboration, problem-solving, and respect, targets both in and out of school adolescents, aged 13 to 17 years.

In the assessment, scenarios are built and questions are posed to adolescents, and their responses convey their bearings towards the assessment skills.

Dr. Mary Goretti Nakabugo, the executive director of Uwezo Uganda, observed assessment of these skills and values is one of the challenges the education system is grappling with as it implements the new curriculum.

“We know that these skills are critically important for young people if they are to fit in this global community. Much as there have been efforts to nurture these skills through the curriculum, how do we know that these young people have acquired these skills? How do we assess them?" she asked.

A 13-year-old Natasha Faith, a P.6 pupil at Ntinda Primary School (2nd left) being interviewed by the UWEZO assessors as her mother and sibling look on (Extreme Right) during the research assessment exercise in Nsimbiziwoma village in Ntinda. (All Photos by Colleb Mugume)

Although many life skills are accessed globally, Nakabugo said, the region didn’t have tools to assess the critical skills. The initiative zeroed on the four skills, which she said, are highly relevant in the regional context.

“The tools are also aimed to collect data on the skills among the young people. We want to engage with the policymakers and other education stakeholders with evidence,” she said, adding that reports for each country will be released before this year ends.

Nakabugo said the inspiration for East Africa education research to focus on promoting soft skills came from studies that showed a big number of graduates not only lack practical skills, but also generic skills to help them navigate the world of work.

Safeguarding values

A 2014 study by the Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) indicated that 63% of graduates in Uganda lacked skills, which are not directly taught in schools.

Nakabugo said the project has also enabled the region to develop local expertise in creating tools. 47 researchers across the region have been skilled in developing these tools.

The activity is a household-based activity, where each adolescent is interviewed before they are gathered in a group of four to assess their collaborations. In a collaboration, skills such as negotiation, listening, teamwork and decision-making are assessed.

Last weekend, a team of assessors was in the field for three days across the country. 

The countrywide research is being conducted by teacher trainees and a social worker in the community of field.

The teacher trainees come from schools of education at five public institutions of higher learning. 

These are Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Muni University and Mubende National Teachers College.

Godfrey Sendyose, a coordinator of the assessors, said using teacher trainees in the research was meant to make them appreciate the importance of teaching life skills to children.

“These skills are very paramount in anybody’s life. If children get these skills at a tender age, we are assured of having a good future. One can excel in academics, or a given field, when you lack values, you can fail to maintain the job or business,” he said.

Sadam Hussein, a teacher, also said a teacher’s appreciation and assessment of these life skills can guide them in handling different children.

The LC3 Councillor of Kanyanya A, Prossy Nalubwama Mayombwe, said education should go beyond topics covered in a syllabus, to cover skills that enable a child live well within the community.

Mugerwa Abdu Salim, a parent, said the research if done consistently, will serve as a reminder to the parents of the importance of safeguarding these values for success of their children.

Social worker Anna Kasirye proposed that the assessment should be extended to earlier stages to mould children before they enter the adolescent stage.