Educate to add value — Minister Musenero tells teachers

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The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Monica Musenero, has told teachers to strive for an education that adds value to learners to improve the socio-economic development of Uganda.

While closing the three-day Aga Khan University Foundation For Learning Conference that brought together educators from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania at Four Points Hotel in Kampala recently, Musenero called for an education that fills learners with the knowledge to add value to the resources in the country.

Musenero says educators must teach learners how to monetise resources in the country.

“Education is not for grades; it is for national development and socio-economic transformation. We need to bring that into view and assess it. Let’s look at it as a driver for development. If we are not educating for that reason, then we shall not have an aim. Let us have a perfect education because how we are teaching children is not properly aligned with national goals,” Musenero said.

According to her, African educators struggle to find purpose and in doing so, they try to better the unclear goals and visions they have which in turn ends up with wrong results.

“Everywhere I go in this continent, they tell me that our education is not serving us. Nations develop by creating wealth out of the natural resources that they have. If your education is not linked to value addition then it is not perfect,” she stated.

Musenero explained that value addition involves the use of science, technology and innovation and without these three aspects, the education system becomes useless yet it is the biggest preparer of human capital, according to her.

“The child’s grade is just a reflection of the teacher’s mind. You train doctors in this country, but you don’t train them on how to make the instruments they use. The knowledge base in the education system determines where a nation’s economy will focus. Every time you are standing in class, know that you are directing the economy of your nation,” she noted.

Minister Musenero urged teachers to have a specific purpose for educating and, therefore, incorporate it from the kindergarten level.

On her part, education ministry permanent secretary Ketty Lamaro emphasized the need for collaboration among the East African states to address challenges in education.

Ketty Lamaro Permanent Secretary at the Minisry of Education giving her speech at the conference.

"It’s imperative that we embrace innovation and collaboration to address challenges and seize opportunities before us. Together we can create inclusive, transformative and empowering ecosystems that will benefit generations to come,” Lamaro stated.

Challenges

Different teachers discussed the challenges they have faced in trying to improve education in their regions.

Rashid Mao, a headteacher in West Nile, said he has had trouble eradicating the effects of social norms and negative attitudes towards the inclusion of girls with disabilities in education.

“Different cultures are hard to manage altogether. There are a lot of negative attitudes toward these people in my region. When female teachers go on maternity leave, it is hard to handle the girls. There is a lack of understanding of gender equality and inclusion,” Mao said.

Additionally, Mapua Gyafaranyi, a headteacher from Tanzania, said there is a need for skilling to impart knowledge for change of attitude. She said that education that does not touch attitudes is not effective.

Inclusive education

On the bright side, educators were able to come up with various ways of incorporating inclusivity in education.

Moris Odondo from the Kenya Management Institute revealed how there is a change in the systems by training headteachers to become very aggressive.

“Our headteachers are building a strong team by appreciating change. They practice pedagogical research which we emphasize. They are guided on the data they implement,” Odondo said.

In addition, headteachers make decisions with consultation from the management, the community, fellow teachers and parents. Co-curricular activities like sports are also done with both girls and boys without separating them during games.

Foundation for learning project

Foundations for Learning (F4L) project is one component of the Foundation for Education and Empowerment (F4EE) project. F4EE aims to improve educational systems at the pre-primary and primary levels thus strengthening women empowerment and gender equality. The Aga Khan University - Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED, EA) implements F4L to train and equip students, teachers, school leaders, families, communities, civil society organizations, and government leaders with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values needed to promote more gender-responsive and pluralist quality education systems in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.