Controversy shrouds Agriculture syllabus

By Anthony Mugeere KEY questions are being raised about the introduction of Agriculture as a compulsory subject in primary school. There are fresh allegations of plagiarism by the syllabus developers. Two National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) science specialists are reportedly under fire, for allegedly plagiarising the agriculture syllabus from the science component of Volume II of the primary school curriculum. The curriculum's launching has been delayed for unclear reasons. The two, were recently threatened with sacking if they fail to explain the anomalies in the syllabus, sources said. "The problem arose from the fact that these were the same people who wrote the science curriculum. They were paid a lot of money to come up with the agriculture syllabus but there was nothing original," said a source. NCDC director, Prof. Peter Muyanda Mutebi, however, denied that there was any trouble brewing at the Kyambogo-based body over the matter. "That's just rumour mongering," he told Education Vision. "There is no problem with any of my officials about the Agriculture syllabus. And if there was any, I would have solved it internally. Someone is just trying to smear dirt on my officials," he added. Sources, however, said the curriculum body is yet to satisfy the ministry of education and donors on why the US$4.23m (about sh7.6b) loan being sought from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) must be spent on curriculum review given the 'shoddy' nature of work done on the agriculture syllabus. The parliamentary Standing Committees on the National Economy, Finance and Social Services approved the loan "in principle" last month but raised a number of issues that must be addressed before the syllabus is implemented. In a workshop held at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Entebbe on April 19-20, the legislators put ministry officials to task over why the curriculum review activities should cost US $ 4.32m yet there are many ongoing activities that need urgent intervention. They singled out the need to cater for the incomplete classrooms under the Northern Uganda Reconstruction Programme (NURP) and the acquisition of more textbooks. The legislators also queried the kind of agricultural education to be taught to the lower primary (P1-P4) pupils who "are too young." They further expressed concern over "the imbalanced distribution" of the four core PTCs which will handle agricultural education. The PTCs include Loro (Lira), Shimoni (Kampala), Bishop Willis (Iganga) and Arua (Arua). Mr. Joseph Muvawala, Programme Co-ordinator, Ministry of Education and Sports, had earlier told the parliamentary committee on national economy that government plans to introduce the subject in July this year. This would bring to five, the number of compulsory and principal subjects offered in primary schools. The others are Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies. Muvawala said the DANIDA loan would facilitate primary school teaching through provision of tools, implements, equipment and materials to 50 selected schools in each district. Other activities to be funded by the loan, he added, include organising agricultural study visits, exhibitions and contests. Muvawala told Education Vision that the subject was necessary to inculcate the desire of engaging in agriculture which is in line with government plans to modernise agriculture. "This subject will basically provide basic knowledge and skills needed to utilise the environment for sustainable agricultural production and it is our duty as the ministry to support it," he said. A copy of the syllabus seen by Education Vision shows that the 80-page document is organised under five major themes treated in a cyclic manner through the different levels in primary school. Each theme is broken into topics for each class. The themes are Growing crops, keeping farm animals, using soils and water for farming, starting and managing a farm and farming as a business. The syllabus shows that assessment and evaluation will be done through continuous assessment terminal tests and examinations. Continuous assessment will be done throughout each term in form of written and oral classroom exercises, tests, homework and assignments, assessment of practical work and personal inventories. It also spells out various crop and animal projects for individuals, groups, clubs and schools. The crop projects include pasture growing, vegetable growing and tree growing. The animal projects include rabbits, goats or sheep, pigs, poultry and care for young animals. Critics, however, say most of the themes, topics and projects were just extracted from the Science syllabus. They singled out theme one of the Agriculture syllabus which is covered under the topic: Uses of Soil under the Environment theme in the science syllabus in Primary One. Another critic pointed out theme five, farming as a business, as being covered under the topic: Food and nutrition content, in the Science syllabus. Analysts further say the syllabus contains several topics that are already covered by the SST syllabus. These include Other Living Things in our Homes (covering plants and their uses) and Living Things in our sub-county (living things as per locality: plants). "There is nothing new in the syllabus," said the critic under anonymity. "These people merely sat in the conferences and summarised the science syllabus." A senior lecturer in the faculty of agriculture Makerere University said the introduction of the subject will not meet the ministry's targets because it is mostly a practical subject that will be hampered by limited resources. "We are already experiencing logistical problems teaching the other four subjects so there is no doubt that the ministry is creating more problems by introducing a practical subject in primary schools," he said. Muvawala, however, dismissed the claims saying whereas the two syllabi might have more or less the same content, the agriculture syllabus is more practical, detailed and relevant. "The science syllabus is very brief and theoretical. It does not meet the needs for improving food security and national development," he said. Teachers interviewed criticised the modes of instruction under the new syllabus saying they "were merely designed to attract donor funding." The modes include; demonstrations by teachers, extension workers, veterinary staff and farmers; supervised practicals in the classroom and out in the field. They also include field trips/educational visits to sites of agricultural interest. Experts said the fundamental problem in curriculum implementation is that the design and implementation are under two different bodies. Whereas the design is under the NCDC, they say, the implementation is under the Ministry of Education and Sports whose Inspectorate department is ill-equipped and under-funded. The solution lies in the recently approved Education Standards Agency (ESA) that is yet to be established. ends