Abstract

In 1997 the Government of Uganda (GoU) implemented Universal Primary Education (UPE) in the country. UPE provides access to primary education for all Ugandan children of primary age.

Although access to education was significantly increased nationwide, this was not matched by an increase in the quality of the education provided to children. Numerous factors contributed to a decrease in the quality of education within GoU schools among them larger class sizes, inadequate provision of classroom structures, a shortage in sheer numbers of teachers in schools as well as a lack of qualified, trained and motivated teachers to effectively handle the considerable influx of children walking into the classroom nationwide. (Aguti, 2002)

In addition to these factors, the ongoing conflict in the northern part of the country between the rebels from the Lord Resistance Army and the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) worsened the education situation of schools in the region. In response, the GoU through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) started the Conflict Area Supplemental Educational Materials project (CASEM), to provide assistance to teachers and schools in these war-affected districts.

This capstone paper seeks to explore the perceptions of primary school teachers of the impact of the CASEM project in their schools. The author was part of a larger evaluation exercise done by Mango Tree Educational Enterprises to measure the overall impact of the project by attempting to identify changes in teaching approaches and challenges faced by teachers during the implementation of the project.

Disciplines

Education | International and Comparative Education

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