Smartphones for learning

The National Curriculum Development Centre-NCDC is supporting schools that are encouraging senior one and two learners to use smartphones.

This development comes as a section of schools in Kampala are now openly allowing learners with phones to access class without penalties. Recently, Nakasero Senior Secondary School in Kampala admitted to accepting learners with smartphones to class provided they get clearance from the management.

Godfrey Mubiru the Director of Studies at the school, defended their position saying this is meant to facilitate the implementation of the new lower secondary curriculum that started in 2020.

 

Now, the NCDC says the use of mobile phones is valid because schools are struggling to cope with the new curriculum due to the absence of text books meant to guide them in delivering the new lower secondary curriculum.

John Okumu, the Manager Secondary Department at NCDC says due to logistical challenges, some schools are yet to receive the text books while others have very large numbers of learners.

’’Schools have been teaching on Zoom and students have been using phones as tools of learning, I don’t see the reason why now, when they are back in school,we stop them, even if these text books were in schools, they would not be enough. Some schools have close to 1000 learners and government cannot provide them all, and even if we told parents to buy text books, the 12 textbooks for S1  alone are expensive,” Okumu explained

With this learner-centered curriculum, each student is expected to research and come up with their own notes, allowing smartphones use could be a solution to the problem.

Smartphones for learning

In the new approved curriculum, schools are teaching 12 subjects at Senior One and Two, out of which 11 are compulsory while one is an elective menu (optional). Students at levels Three and Four will exit with a minimum of eight or a maximum of nine subjects with seven of them compulsory.

The NCDC  developed the content for the revised lower secondary curriculum. However, currently, Uganda lacks an approved ICT policy on education, to regulate the use of these smartphones.

The Ministry of Education and Sports allowed for learners to carry phones to school for study purposes while they g process an ICT policy in schools.

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