Young facilitators designing learning aids that they use while teaching young children. Photos by Walter Okot
By Walter Okot
Gulu: Nesta Sunday Agenorwot, a pupil of Oguru Primary School in Gulu district recently overcame her fear of public speaking.
“I couldn’t raise my hand to ask or respond to a question,” said Agenorwot.
Similarly, Daisy Ayubu, who couldn’t stand before fellow learners, is now a prefect.
The inability to express oneself among learners in Uganda is a concern to both parents and education stakeholders, as several people who have completed university education, cannot confidently express themselves.
However, Literacy and Adult Basic Education (LABE), under Strengthening Access, Resources and Transition (START) projects in rural communities, is helping children in northern Uganda to overcome the fear of public speaking.
The districts benefitting from the programme are; Gulu and Nwoya in Acholi Sub-region, and Koboko, Obongi, Terego, and Yumbe districts in West Nile sub-region.
Through a programme called Child to Child Learning, older primary pupils in Primary Five and Seven, are supported to engage with preschool children from 5-6 years, to enable them to enhance their readiness to join school.
At individual children’s homes, or home learning centres, the child facilitators teach younger children using fun, plays, songs, and games, among others, hence, gaining confidence in public speaking in the process.
At primary schools, the young facilitators take the lead in school-based clubs, to acquire skills currently out of the primary education system.
Richard Opiyo, a team leader at LABE Northern Region, said the organization initiated Child-to-child learning in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown, to engage pupils in Upper Primary to teach children in 20 home learning centers in Gulu and Nwoya districts.
Opiyo said the young facilitators were identified by parents, and the home learning Centre management committee, and trained by primary teachers to teach preschool children how to socialize.
“Our focus is that the young facilitators should prepare these children from 5-6 years to join primary one, just like a nursery teacher preparing a child in K3 to join primary one,” Opiyo said.
Statistics from LABE show that 338 children graduated in December 2023, after undergoing preschool children readiness, assessment, and examination to determine whether the child can join primary.
The officer revealed that LABE intends to provide a low-cost child-to-child model for 1,800 preschool children to transition successfully to primary school.
Parents’ involvement
Opiyo also said they have introduced a home-based library at the home learning Centres, where parents pick story Books and teach their children at home.
So far, 220 story books have been distributed to each 20-home learning Centre in Gulu and Nwoya districts, while more than 2,000 parents have borrowed storybooks and supported their children to learn.
He explained that the intervention is aimed at working with parents to appreciate their role in preparing and supporting their preschool children with oral rich language, and home literature environment essential for later achievement at school.
“Parents are the first teachers and it is good when they also engage to support their children learn from home,” Opiyo remarked.
