The Kabale Schools’ Community of Practice is supporting skills-based learning in
southwest Uganda.
The Foundation along with a partner charity, ‘All Our Children’, is supporting a 3 year pilot programme involving a group of 11 schools from Nursery through to Primary and Secondary to establish a ‘Community of Practice’ in Kabale in southern Uganda.
This collaborative programme focuses on training and support for teachers:
• To develop Active Teaching and Learning
• To promoting new approaches to Behaviour Management
• To improving Health and Wellbeing, Hygiene and Sanitation, on the School Campuses
‘I am a Nursery teacher and before the training I gave direct and formal instructions to the children. I would set the work, give examples, the children would listen and there was little participation – there was often boredom and lack of engagement. It was teacher centred. Now after the training where we visited other schools which were child centred I am using group work approaches and local materials and play things with my 5 and 6 year olds. This participation allows the children to learn more. Today my lesson with the children has involved Singing, group work, making a class play to improve language and confidence, traditional dancing, and work on prepositions.’
Angel, a teacher, in one of the most deprived districts of Kabale
This project creates an opportunity to engender a paradigm shift from the traditional, theoretical, academic, examination-oriented teacher centred education system in Uganda to the vocational skills-based curriculum that will make young Uganda students skilled for easy employability. The project seeks to make schooling more meaningful, attractive, gainful and friendly for both boys and girls who may be high, average or low achievers.