Ssirimuzaawo’s research offers solutions to learners with learning disabilities

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Catherine Natalia Asiimwe, a law student, has battled Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for over 10 years. This condition makes it difficult for her to focus on academics, much as she is a star performer. ADHD also affects her social relationships.

Asiimwe is not alone. Josephine Ssirimuzaawo, a lecturer at Nkumba University, says, ADHD is prevalent in many learners, yet the condition is not known to many teachers and parents alike. The children are labelled stubborn, possessed or disruptive, which to her, “Feels dismissive and unhelpful.”

To curb that, five years ago, Ssirmuzaawo enrolled for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education, specialising in psychology with focus on ADHD. Her research sought to find solutions for learners with learning disabilities, including those with ADHD, autism and dyslexia.

Ssirimuzaawo is set to graduate on October 25, 2025, at Nkumba University.

She says: I have identified several workable strategies that teachers, parents and caregivers can implement to significantly improve the behavioural and educational outcomes for learners with those learning disabilities.

And looking ahead she adds: I have many ambitious goals for the next ten years which, with God's will, I hope to achieve excellently. Giving up is not an option for me. As we say in Luganda: Gakyali mabaga. The struggle continues.

On where she got the inspiration to specialize in that area, Ssirimuzaawo says at her first teaching job in a primary school, she noticed several children who behaved differently from their peers.  But what struck her most was not their behavior but the fact that no one seemed to know how to effectively support or help them to overcome their challenges.

In hindsight, however, this experience ignited a powerful desire in her to understand and help to address the children’s needs.

Unfortunately, during that time, accessing information was difficult. She visited internet cafés to research and read everything she could about children with different learning styles and disabilities. This need became even more apparent when she later joined Ggaba Teacher Training College as a tutor.

During her school practice supervision visits to schools, Ssirimuzaawo continued to encounter such children and sadly, the lack of knowledge on how to handle their unique challenges persisted among teachers, parents and guardians.

At that point, she realized she had to do something to help hence enrolling for the PhD, thanks to her passion for reading coupled with her desire as an educator to help children with different learning and behavioural challenges.  She spent fifteen months in the field collecting data.

Challenges

Navigating the PhD dynamics did not come easy for Ssirimuzaawo. She had to work extra hard in order to consistently be in the good books of her supervisors to ensure her work is accepted. Add to this, balancing multiple roles as a wife, mother, employee and entrepreneur.

Ssirimuzaawo thanks God, Nkumba University and her PhD supervisors; Prof. Miph Musoke and Dr Pio Kiyingi, for being there for her. Besides, her family, especially her husband and children, were a strong support system. She also thanks her late parents, uncle Mathias Mugenyi and aunt Josephine Mutagubya for investing in her education.

A word to PhD aspirants

Just as BB King stated; "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." PhD is absolutely worth the effort, as learning truly never ends. But when you enroll, ensure you get genuinely involved in your work, from start to end. Even the data analysis part. When you are deeply immersed in every phase of your research, the feeling of accomplishment and connection to your work is profoundly different.

Education background

Ssirimuzaawo went to Kasambya Primary School in Kyotera district before enrolling at St. Maria Goretti Secondary School, Katende in Mpigi district for her O and A levels. Thereafter, she joined Makerere University for a Bachelor of Education. She also did a postgraduate diploma at Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and a masters at Nkozi University.

Statistics

While an exact number for learners with disabilities is not available, it is estimated that up to 2.5 million children in Uganda have a disability, and 16% of all children have a disability, according to various reports from organisations like the World Bank and Includovate.