___________________

Adjumani district residents, one of the refugee hosting districts in the West Nile sub-region have embraced Early Childhood Development (ECD), to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all.

In 2009, the district only had one ECD Centre, however, currently there are 134 ECD centres with 58 of these being in the refugee settlements.

Currently, the said ECDs have 12,571 refugee pupils and 13228 nationals. The district has 3150 teachers, with 636 being ECD teachers.

Adjumani hosts the highest number of refugee settlements (18) in Uganda, accommodating around 203,671 refugees, mainly from neighboring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The refugees here compose about 55% of the entire population of the district.

Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, with over 1,529,904 refugees.

Phillip Akuku Kaya, a senior education officer and also in charge refugee response to education in Adjumani explained that the ECD is where the teachers look at the stimulation of early learning in a child.

He said ECD focuses on things like physical needs where children are taken through their parts of the body and what they do, emotional needs, social and moral needs, spiritual needs, and intellectual needs all through from baby class to top class.

Why ECD is key

Kaya noted that ECD is a stage that is responsible for interesting a child in the education system and are enrolled when they make 1000 days of life, approximately three years.

“By standard, at 1000 days of life a child is supposed to ask more than 750 questions to their parents, neighbors, and colleagues and these are supposed to be responded to, to enable the child to grow well,” he explained.

Children playing at Block 17 Early Childhood Development Centre in Ayilo II refugee settlement in Adjumani district. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

He said in Adjumani they started tracking the importance of children who have gone through ECD and found that usually 90% of the children in ECD transit to primary school.

Kaya noted that often these beat the net primary completion rate which is at 12 years and proceed with their education well.

He added that after increasing the number of ECDs in the district, the net enrollment into schools increased from 27% to 73% for children entering school at the right age.

Kaya pointed out that the completion rate, which used to be only 7% for girls has risen to 19% for those completing P.7 at the right age (12).

He added that for boys the completion rate is now at 23% bringing the total completion rate to 42% in the district.

The educationist said the ECDs have also increased human capital development with many people in the district getting employed there.

He said parents in the area are also embracing the ECD system, which he said, has made it easy for the system to thrive.

Kaya said Uganda and its partners are encouraging the refugees to access education so that when they return home some day they can take charge of the development of their own country.

Challenges

The officer explained that teachers who are refugees still face a challenge with their certification being that they qualified in South Sudan.

Kaya said that these need their certificates to be equated to suit the standard of Uganda and these are required to pay sh350, 000 to the National Council of Higher Education, which many fail to raise.

“If one’s documents of qualification are in Arabic, French, German or any other foreign language, they are supposed to be taken to Makerere University in the languages department for translation which also requires sh350, 000.”

Kaya pointed out that teachers still face a challenge of accommodation, especially in the refugee settings, and that the budget of the district is too constrained to provide.

Play matters

To further interest children in education, the government and Plan International a development partner are implementing ‘Play Matters’ a teaching model that at delivering play-based at delivering play-based learning to refugee and host community children

When New Vision visited Block 17 ECD centre in Ayilo II refugee settlement on a school day, pupils were found playing different games as they counted with locally made play materials like banana fiber ropes and balls.

Kaya said Uganda and its partners are encouraging the refugees to access education so that when they return home some day they can take charge of the development of their own country.

Alongside them were teachers who continuously participated in the playing as they direct children on what to do as well as answer those that move to them with different questions.

Ronald Kazibwe, the Play Matter project manager at Plan International said the model was designed for pre-primary and primary schools among learners aged 3-12+ with an aim to strengthen children’s resilience and build their social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative skills through play-based learning.

“Play is a natural way for children to learn and develop, with research showing that it is one of the most critical ways to help children build essential skills and resilience, especially for refugee children who have been impacted by traumatic events,” Kazibwe said.

He explained that in the play matters learning packets for children and educator’s guides containing simple learning games, that can be played, were given to schools to guide them in the implementation of the model.

The project funded by LEGO Foundation is implemented in 10 refugee hosting local governments in Kyegegwa, Isingiro, Kikuube, Lamwo, Arua, Madi Okollo, Terego, Obongi, Yumbe, and Adjumani districts.

He said the project also aims to lay foundations for fostering learning through play within existing learning structures and systems.

Kazibwe said, “Our ambition is that playful learning will grow and remain entrenched in the education services of the country long into the future.”

Patrick Iga Obwota a nursery teacher at Block 17 ECD centre in Ayilo II settlement said his class is made up of 60 pupils of which 98% are refugees.

He said that in using play as a teaching mode, they use materials like balls, skiing ropes, and other materials outside to give children social skills and other academic components like counting among others.

“We let them explore through this modal however be there to guide them as we look at achieving the competences we want them to achieve.”

The teacher said they have realized the model brings children closer to them facilitating interactions and sharing of ideas.

Agnes Moriku, a nursery teacher at Victory ECD centre Pagirinya refugee settlement, said when you play with the children they do not forget what they learn as they keep on trying it in their free time.

“If we are looking at counting in class, we can use things in their environment like leaves, spoons, or cups to count for them to get familiar with what is being taught,” she said.