Day schools in Kampala have adjusted their study time for learners.
Since the beginning of this week, our reporters have seen learners in primary and secondary at 10: 00 p.m. returning home from their respective schools.
Annet Nakawooya, a student at St Mary’s High School in Nabweru, says that when curfew was lifted the night preps were re-introduced in the school with students studying up to 9; 00 p.m.
“It was suggested and we could not resist. if you don’t attend, you are bound to miss out on the lessons yet they don’t repeat it the following day,” Nakawooya told this reporter moment after the school had released these students.
Many teachers justified the extension of the learning time saying that they need more time to cover up for the time when schools were closed.
Munilu Edube, a teacher at the students’ center notes that being a day school the curfew hours have been affecting their plans of having extra lessons with the students.
According to Edube, the school will immediately start having preps from 5 pm to 8 pm as they adjust. He indicates that given the automatic promotion and all the curriculum adjustments at all levels, both the students and teachers need extra time together.
At Kampala High school, Salim Maudhe, the Assistant Director of Studies says the lifting of the curfew has nothing to do with their operations. According to Maudhe the school timetable was planned to end at 5 pm and from that time to 6 pm it’s prep for the senior three to six students.
He says with or without the curfew the school learning will remain stabilized.
Richard Abura, the Deputy Headteacher of Nakasero Primary School says the school is yet to adjust its teaching hours for Primary Seven Candidates. He however adds that they will soon hold a meeting with the parents to discuss the possibility of having extra classes for the candidates.
Apart from teaching in evening preps, the school also has morning preps which run from 5:00 a.m. to 7: 00 a.m. Before the normal teaching time begins. The government has already banned schools from teaching students outside of the official learning time which runs from 8;00 a.m. to 4; 00 p.m.
Justifying the extended learning time for the sake of recovering the lost time is also the best solution given the fact that the National Curriculum Development Centre has also designed an abridged curriculum to guide how schools should teach.
The abridged curriculum also stipulates the number of periods a given subject should be allotted to in the official learning time to cover the syllabus in the allocated time of 14 weeks per term.
Some of the parents that URN spoke to say that the adjustments are unnecessary. They intimated that it might be a money-making venture by the schools.
Henry Ntende, a parent says extending the time would not be secure for the learners especially girls who at times have to walk home.
Elizabeth Walusansa a guardian to an 18-year-old student in S.3 says schools should not entertain such ideas because they will lead to more charges and will also endanger the lives of the children.
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