By Steven Enatu
KALAKI
Geneva Global Uganda, a Non-Governmental Organization operating in Uganda has delivered an assortment of scholastic materials to Kalaki District to benefit the Speed Education Programme in Eleven Primary Schools.
The donation was delivered on Friday, 24th February, 2023.
Speed Education is an accelerated learning program for children who have been denied the opportunity to go to school.
It consists of a condensed curriculum covering the first three years of primary education.
The Speed School model is being implemented and adapted across multiple African countries to help marginalized out-of-school children catch up on education in supportive, joyful classrooms with remarkable results. Upon completion, children transfer to formal schools to continue their education.
The acting District Education Officer Kalaki, Claire Omagor said that the program started with recruitment of staff who have been deployed in the eleven schools undertaking the program in the district and purely targets the disadvantaged children who dropped out of school or have never been to schools.
The eleven schools include Ogongora, Olomomet, Kakrua, Opungure, Ogolai-Kakure, Kalaki primary school and Gome Primary school among others.
“We were guided to identify two sub counties but we had to include one from Kakaki town council to make eleven. The recruitment of learner beneficiaries is in process and we are going to take it to school levels by the teachers of Speed education program” he noted.
Omagor appealed to the local leaders to help them in identifying the learners who dropped out, never been at school emphasizing that the program does not target those who are under UPE.
He promised to be in the lead in monitoring the implementation of the Speed School Programme in Kalaki District.
“I know Kalaki district being a newly created district, we are constrained in terms of facilities that will help us to monitor this programme but my office is going to do its best to ensure that this programme is fully and effectively implemented.” He said
So far the district has received scholastic materials including books, pens, pencils, metallic boxes and rulers among others.
Kalaki is one of the districts in Teso sub-regions that were invaded by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebellion in the early 2000s, something that frustrated education in the area.
The Country Director Ms Rebecca Akwamo Ecwou while handing over these materials urged the District Leadership to ensure that the programme benefits needy learners who were unable to continue with education under Universal Primary Education.
“I am not in a position to exactly tell how much money these items have cost the organization but they are worth millions of money,” Ms Ecwou stated, adding, “We have bought these study materials not only for Kalaki district but about 11 districts countrywide.”
Ecwou says the same Speed School Programme which is accelerated in nature has also been extended to some districts in the Busoga sub-region and including Mayuge and Namayingo. However, this year, “We are launching this programme in the Teso sub-region where we are starting with a few sub-counties in Amuria and Kalaki District,” Ms Ecwou added.
Accelerated education program termed as speed has two levels in this Speed School Programme; level one learner from nine years to 13 only are admitted and then in level two learners from 14 years to 18 are considered.
In level one, learners shall be studying in term one, they will be in Primary One, in term two, they will be in Primary Two and then in term three, they will be in Primary Three
By 2024, they will be promoted in an accelerated manner to Primary Four.
Anna Ajemo, a trained teacher recruited to launch this programme in Osudo Primary School told this writer, “My colleagues and I are ready to deliver to the expectation of the donors who are supporting this programme in Uganda.”
26 teachers have been recruited in Kalaki to implement the speedy school programme and they were re-trained in order to deliver according to the guidelines. Kalaki district alone has 11 schools that are launching the Speed School Programme before it rolls out to the rest of the 38 primary schools in the district.
Geneva Global Uganda has been in operation in all the districts of the Acho
Geneva Global Uganda has been in operation in all the districts of the Acholi sub-region. Acholi sub-region is composed of seven districts that include Gulu, Kitgum, and Pader and then also Agago, Lamwo, Amuru and Nwoya all located in northern Uganda.
