The Ministry of Education and Sports has expressed concern over the reduction in literacy and numeracy levels of children in the country’s primary schools.

Recent findings from the national assessment of progress in education made by UNEB show that a majority of primary school pupils lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, with socio-economic disparities exacerbating the problem.

This was revealed by the Ministry Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Cleophus Mugenyi, while officiating at a practical teaching campaign on August 22, 2024, conducted by Teaching Science and Innovation Africa in partnership with River Flow International.

“The literacy and numeracy levels of our children in the country are still below standard for boys and girls because teaching remains theoretical rather than practical. If our schools were using another approach, they would not be registering the same statistics presented by UNEB,“ said Dr. Mugyenyi.

During the campaign, which aimed to get science teachers in schools to learn how to use laboratory items and instructional manuals to significantly improve learning outcomes, Dr. Mugenyi called upon schools to adopt practical teaching in laboratories and utilize instructional manuals.

According to Dr. Mugyenyi, he has in previous reports made suggestions like improving local language, providing teaching and learning materials, teacher professional development, restoring co-curricular activities, and addressing socio-economic factors as ways in which literacy and numeracy levels can be improved in schools.