Govt rolls out Kiswahili teaching in phased manner

The National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) has announced that Kiswahili language will be rolled out as a compulsory subject in primary schools in a phased manner starting next year.

Ms Grace Baguma, the director of the NCDC, said the rollout will begin in western Uganda, specifically in Fort Portal City, and the districts of Kasese and Kabarole.

Ms Baguma explained that although the Cabinet approved the compulsory teaching of Kiswahili in all primary schools nationwide in 2022, limited resources have delayed a nationwide rollout.

“We are starting with schools in western Uganda due to financial constraints, as we depend on government funds for the rollout,” she said on Tuesday while addressing primary teachers who are undergoing training on the new Kiswahili curriculum at Canon Apollo Core Primary Teachers' College in Fort Portal City.

“Our goal is to expand Kiswahili instruction to schools across the entire country eventually,” Ms Baguma added.

She said NCDC has already provided these initial schools with learning materials, and teachers have been adequately trained to begin teaching.

Ms Baguma said the pupils promoted to Primary Four would be the target group and that they would be assessed by the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) when they reach Primary Seven.

She also noted that the NCDC had previously issued timetables with three Kiswahili lessons per week, but the rollout was paused due to insufficient funds. 

However, with the newly allocated funding, the teaching of Kiswahili will commence in the first term of next year.

She said as additional funds become available, the teaching will be expanded to primary schools nationwide.

“Kiswahili is the only language that has the potential to unify East Africa and even Africa. For this initiative to succeed, we are relying heavily on the commitment of teachers. While the initial phase may present challenges, I am confident that with determination, this effort will succeed,” Ms Baguma added.

Dr Perpetua Arinaitwe, the senior curriculum specialist for Kiswahili in primary schools at NCDC, announced that 420 primary teachers from government and private schools in Kasese and Kabarole districts, as well as Fort Portal City, are undergoing an eight-day training programme.

The training, which started on Sunday at Canon Apollo Core Primary Teachers' College in Fort Portal, aims to equip teachers with comprehensive knowledge of the new Kiswahili curriculum.

Of the 420 teachers, 237 are from schools in Kasese District, 27 from Kasese Municipality, 48 from government schools in Kabarole District, 38 from private schools, 30 from government schools in Fort Portal City, and 40 from private schools in Fort Portal City.

“We are implementing a cascading model in this rollout, starting with Primary Four across all schools. By the time these pupils reach Primary Seven, we expect they will have gained sufficient proficiency in Kiswahili to undergo the Uneb assessment,” Dr Arinaitwe said.

She added: “We are also in discussions with Uneb regarding the structure of the Kiswahili assessment, which will increase the number of examinable subjects from four to five.”

Dr Arinaitwe said the NCDC has also trained lead facilitators who will be responsible for training teachers in various schools, ensuring consistent and quality instruction as the Kiswahili curriculum is gradually rolled out across the country.