|  The Literacy Programme encourages children to read for pleasure...
KTU's Literacy Programme Goal is: To contribute towards pleasurable, lifelong literacy and development in Uganda.
The Literacy Programme was developed based on the findings of a Situational Analysis that was conducted in schools in Kampala in 2008. The findings of the Situational Analysis were collaborated by a literature review and interviews with many stakeholders in the area of literacy. In part, these findings showed that, literacy is critical for development and has a bearing on economic, social, health and gender among other issues.
However, it was also noted that; in Uganda, 30% of the population illiterate; the practice of reading is very poor. This is not helped by the fact that the majority of houses do not have electrical lighting and therefore reading at home in the evenings is difficult. Books are also incredibly expensive to buy; this often leads to parents concentrating on buying text books which help their children to pass examinations. The programme started as a single project in 3 primary schools in Kampala district in 2008. The project was evaluated in 2010. In 2011, the results of the evaluation were used to expand the project in to a programme focusing on education of the girl-child and integrating HIV/AIDS prevention education in to literacy approaches.
KTU's Literacy Programme Goal is: To contribute towards pleasurable, lifelong literacy and development in Uganda.
Programme Objectives
- To strengthen support for Reading for Pleasure
- To ensure that reading materials and visual aids are varied and appropriate.
- Increase parental involvement
- To maximize the use and accessibility of the available reading materials
- To support and improve the education of the girl-child through reading and related activities
- To integrate HIV/AIDS and prevention education in all literacy approaches
Policy framework
In implementing the Literacy Programme, Ka Tutandike works within international protocols and national policies and frameworks. Key among these are;
Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG-2) which focuses on universal primary education http://www.undp.org/mdg/goal2.shtml At national level, the programme works within the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2004-2015, among others.
Achievements to date
Since its inception as a Project in 2008, the Literacy programme has continued to expand both in coverage and in terms of impact. The programme is currently in six schools and will have reached 21 out of the 81 Government aided Universal Primary Education schools in Kampala district by 2013. Key performance areas have included;
- Getting background data on reading levels and availability of a supportive environment in and out of school
- Supplying schools with reading materials that are age appropriate and also encourage varied, fun, child-centered activities
- Building the capacity of parents, teachers, librarians and children to take full ownership of the literacy activities
- Mentoring teachers and provide them with training and resource packs
While we have registered a number of achievements, we have also experienced some challenges. The two major challenges have been the negative perception some of the people continue to have reading for pleasure. The other is the continued need for resources to support the project. We are currently fundraising for more resources to expand the Literacy programme activities to more schools in poor areas of Kampala and other districts.
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