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53% of Ugandan adolescents solutionless to problems - report
A woman crashes stones for sale in Alebtong District in January 2022. Most adults in Uganda are lagging behind in their attainment of foundational life skills, a new report shows. PHOTO/BILL OKETCH
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- The report also indicated that 50 per cent of Ugandan adolescents can regulate their emotions but remain unaware of the multiple ways in which others might perceive and react to situations.
Most children in Uganda are lagging behind in their foundational life skills as many teachers and parents lack an understanding of the importance of these competencies, a new report shows.
As a result, teachers and parents neither make it a learning priority in the classroom nor at home, according to the report recently released by Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE).
The report shares findings about Ugandan adolescents’ proficiency in four key life skills: problem solving, self-awareness, collaboration and respect. The study was commissioned by the Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI).
The research team assessed a total of 11,074, in-and-out of school adolescents aged 13-17 from 7,815 households across 400 enumeration areas in 20 districts.
The assessment undertaken in districts of Buyende, Kyegegwa, Kasese, Jinja, Mubende, Kagadi, Oyam, Sheema, Nabilatuk, Bukedea, Kyankwanzi, Butambala, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Maracha, Wakiso, Bukwo, Tororo, Agago and Kampala in 2022 demonstrated that most Ugandan adolescents are lagging in their attainment of these competencies.
The report revealed that 53 per cent of the adolescents are unable to identify multiple approaches to solving a problem. They are, however, able to recognize the existence of a problem from one perspective and act on that to identify a possible solution.
“For instance, adolescents can identify a problem, but most are only able to identify a single solution to a problem, even when they are asked for several,” it explains.
Oyam deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Moses Mwesigye agreed with the report highlighting that his brother who recently sat Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations could not repair broken tables or chairs at home because he does not know life skills.
“The people who were ignored in our curriculum for not going further with education like the tailors are people who became important in our lives,” the deputy RDC said.
Further, ALiVE’s assessment indicated that 50 per cent of Ugandan adolescents can regulate their emotions but remain unaware of the multiple ways in which others might perceive and react to situations.
Additionally, about 42 per cent of the country’s adolescents collaborate through speaking, being attentive in discussions, and engaging actively in performance tasks but are unable to take a position, contribute ideas, and prompt others.
The research team discovered that about 48 per cent of the Ugandans aged 10-19 are able to interpret bad behaviour as a lack of respect for others and may take conciliatory steps to resolve situations. However, they may be unable to act respectfully in defence of others and self.
“Older adolescents demonstrated more respect than younger adolescents (12 per cent of the 15 to 17 years compared with 6 per cent of the 13 to 14 years),” the researchers said in a report that was officially launched in Oyam District on April 20, 2023.
About 18 per cent of the adolescents in the study areas (17 per cent males and 20 per cent females) can fluently read a grade four text, the report added.
It further demonstrated that about 16 per cent of the adolescents (18 per cent males and 15 per cent females) can access the internet with ease.
Reacting to the report, education stakeholders said that urgent action is needed to fix highlighted gaps.
Oyam District Planner Mark Agong said the report puts Oyam in the tail end out of the 20 districts visited during the assessment.
“And what does it tell me as a stakeholder in Oyam? That there is a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Mr Nommy Otyeno, the Oyam District speaker urged sensitization of masses about the importance of education.
For Chris Gira Otim who is the Oyam District community development officer, the department of community based services will build the capacity for families and community needed for developing life skills and nurturing values at home.
