Relevant curriculum necessary for relevant education and development, says First Lady

 

 

EDUCATION- The First Lady and the Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Museveni, has assured African curriculum developers, educators and researchers that Uganda is committed to ensuring that quality education is provided to all learners.

 

Museveni said the Government of Uganda's commitment to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, the International Educational Agenda, the Skilling Uganda Strategic Plan 2012-2022, the Uganda Vision 2040 and other promulgations on education cannot be questioned.

 

The state minister for primary education, Rosemary Ssenidde, while delivering the First Lady's speech at an ongoing International conference on curriculum for sustainable learning at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe yesterday, said the Government would continue to work with other partners on the continent in uplifting education standards.

 

"This conference gives all of us the opportunity to discuss and share problems of mutual interest as Africans for the good of our children as it brings together a variety of technocrats in the field of education," she said.

 

She added: "This conference is a timely event for us in Uganda for it comes at an opportune time when the country is undergoing curriculum reviews at different levels of education."

 

The minister stated that sustainable learning can only be achieved through rethinking and re-designing the curriculum.

 

"As a continent, our synergies should be geared towards producing holistic curriculum that produces responsible citizens with relevant skills. 

 

This, therefore, makes the initiative to re-establish African Curriculum Organisation very paramount," she added.

 

Seninde, Baguma and the Curriculum Specialist incharge of Mathematics, Dr Getrude Namubiru,  interacting during the  conference. (Credit: Shamim Saad)

 

Over 150 curriculum experts, professionals and other scholars across the continent and beyond have graced the conference that opened on Monday May 28 to Thursday May 31 2018 under the them: Curriculum for sustainable learning.

 

The conference was also used as the launch pad to revive the African Curriculum Organisation (ACO) and to harmonise gaps in the curricula that impede on African education systems from effectively addressing the 21st century needs.

 

ACO formed in 1967 and collapsed in 1970s, was intended to promote and co-ordinate curriculum development, research and development of the new educational materials in the continent.

 

While meeting in Adis Ababa, Ethiopa, in December last year, Curriculum Directors of Africa, resolved to revive it to support in harmonizing gaps that exist in their education curriculums in order to meet the global education targets.

 

The minister said: "We, therefore, welcome the idea of reviving ACO as one of the avenues of handling challenges of the African family and hope the discussions at this conference will support the achievement of quality education in Africa."

 

The director National Curriculum Development Centre and the ACO revival committee chairperson, Grace Baguma, said: "As we celebrate the achievement of getting together, to reflect on curriculum issues, I would like to commend the directors of curriculum centres in Africa for identifying Uganda as the host country for ACO conference 2018."

 

ACO has been renamed, "African Curriculum Organisation Initiative (ACOI)".

 

"I hope we shall continue working together under ACOI umbrella to improve the quality of education in Africa," Baguma said.

 

Dr. Gertrude Namubiru, the co-ordinator of the conference was being co-organised by the Uganda National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) along with Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia and Kenya.

 

She added that participants were hailing from Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Australia, USA, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Burkinafaso, Tanzania, Uganda and England.

 

The representative of the African Union, Prof. Callistus Ogol, a senior expert in the department of human resources of African Union Commission, said, pledged that the commission would support ACO through co-ordinating political support to the organisation.