Govt gets sh54b for students' homework

Students in continuing classes who did not return to school following the closure of educational institutions due to COVID-19, are set to have printed homework from the Government, thanks to a $14.57m (sh54b) grant through the World Bank.

The funds have been obtained from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which is a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding platform aimed at strengthening education in developing countries.

The acquisition of the funds has been in the pipeline for months, with the request made to GPE mid this year.

The availability of the funds was confirmed by the education ministry's permanent secretary, Alex Kakooza.

"Soon, we shall send the reading materials to the students. We appreciate the Government and the partners for helping us with this grant," he said.

Kakooza said in a month's time, the homework packages will be gradually sent to the parents in various parts of the country.

According to the budget monitoring and accountability unit, the funds were secured after an application by the COVID-19 national task force

Use for funds

Part of the funds, according to the budget monitoring unit, will also be used to handle remedial programme for at-risk girls and a re-enrolment campaign to reach girls and children from vulnerable populations.

Digital work already sent

The grant comes in at a time when the Government has just released the digital homework to parents who can access the Internet.

The homework, prepared by the National Curriculum Development Centre, is being shared on the Internet and on various digital platforms.

The First Lady and education minister, Janet Museveni, who was speaking to Vision Group media outlets late last month, in an exclusive interview, said the students in continuing classes will be expected to keep home and revise using live and recorded materials on the broadcast stations, recorded messages on online platforms and the printed materials.

"The Government is set to invest in all these platforms to ensure all learners are reached countrywide. When we have ascertained that it is safer and possible to get all the students back at school, they will report and get assessed by their teachers on what they have learnt while at home, which will form the basis for their promotion to the next class," she said.

"There will be no dead year and we are doing all we can to ensure that all children learn wherever they are," the education minister added.

The First Lady said this revision, "should get learners to a level of learning achievement for promotion to the next class if the situation does not warrant having them to go back to school before the end of the academic year. However, progression shall be based on the evaluation of how effectively homeschooling has been implemented."

Radios coming soon

The Government plans to distribute radios to various households. Unlike the printed homework being funded by GPE, Kakooza said the radios will be bought through the direct funding from the Government.

"The process is almost complete and we are only waiting for the release of funds before the agreement for the distribution of radios can be signed. Once the money is released by the finance ministry, we will sign off the agreement for the radios to be delivered," he said.