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Projects

Uganda

Improving the quality of primary school pupil’s education is the focus of this project. As learning materials within rural schools in Uganda are extremely scarce the learning paper fulfils a valid and necessary need. The total population of Uganda is just short of 30 million ( 28,195,754 ) 50% of which are made up of children of an age up to and including 14 years (males 7,091,763 and females 6,996,385 ).

Our primary aims during the first phase of the project in Uganda is to establish the project and business model at a local and district level, gain Governmental support, establish local steering groups and distribute Papers to 13 primary schools in two districts. In 2009 we intend to increase the circulation closer towards 1 million copies there by attaining coverage of 6.5%.

At present there are 7 million children in Uganda who attend primary school. Only 23% of the children who start school actually complete, the highest dropout rate is in rural schools like the ones TLP is targeting. Of the 7 million who join primary school, approximately only 450,000 pupils actually sit for Primary Leaving Exams. The literacy levels amongst Primary School pupils is poor, the lowest exists in schools which have few learning resources, such as text and exercise books, pens and pencils. To improve spoken English the Ministry of Education and other stake holders are developing a concept in which the English language is taught as a subject and the other subjects are taught in the pupils’ mother tongue until Primary 3.

TLP has created a project model which can be replicated on a national scale throughout Uganda. During the first phase of the project the paper is being used at a local level in eight schools in the Kassanda and Bukuya sub counties in the Mubende district and five schools in the Bugiri district. 6,400 primary school children are using it on a daily basis in their classroom lessons. The paper has had exposure to 10,000 householders and many others through natural circulation amongst community dwellers.

Some key milestones in 2007 / 2008

• 20,000 copies of TLP printed in Kampala and distributed to two Districts
• 6,400 children using the paper in thirteen rural primary schools
• 10,000 householders exposed to the learning paper
• 120 teachers trained in use of TLP
• School link established with St Georges school, Edinburgh, UK
• Project recognised by the Minister of Primary Education
• Local management groups established