Education in Uganda

In this comparative piece, I will be presenting how England and Uganda’s secondary systems can draw comparisons. I will be comparing the intake in to secondary education and how issues in secondary education are being resolved. I aim to be unbiased and treat the information provided with an open mind to be able to compare the systems impartially.

 

To begin with, intake in secondary education in England and Uganda will be compared in this paragraph. Secondary education in Uganda is struggling to improve the amount of students enrolling. This is displayed in the fact that only 41.3% of students that completed primary education went onto secondary education (Kirungi, 2000). This results in children being unable to expand their work prospects and consequently tend to be stuck in poverty similar to that of their family (Kirungi, 2000). On the other hand, secondary education in England is having concerns of how children are selected at particular schools. The literature reveals, ‘a variety of criteria are used which appear to be designed to select certain groups of pupils and so exclude others’ (West and Hind, 2003). This demonstrates the concern that specific schools are centring their enrolment on the top students. As a result, comparisons can be drawn concerning enrolment in secondary education. Secondary education in England can be seen to have issues surrounding inclusion of everyone at certain schools. Whereas, in Uganda enrolment into secondary education is low enough to pose an issue with secondary education as whole.

 

Next, many issues surround secondary education in England and Uganda; these issues will be compared in this paragraph. Secondary education in Uganda is having issues with its universal secondary education (USE) programme. One of these issues includes the ‘implementation of a USE policy that will raise enrolments but without the resources to accommodate them, to deal with parents’ elevated expectations but with little to promise’ (Chapman, Burton and Werner, 2010). Thus, the USE policy is improving the issue of enrolment however, the policy is promising to improve the quality of secondary education but the strategy in place is not meeting this promise. Alternatively, issues surrounding secondary education in England include the attainment gap between the social classes. A recent news article unveiled the finding that ‘The biggest factor of all in narrowing the achievement gap between the affluent and the less fortunate was, in fact, “the power of early achievement in primary schools’ (Hill, 2014). Research was recently undertaken in Boroughs of London, it displayed the idea that primary education for the ‘poor’ has improved meaning the attainment gap in secondary education is closing. Comparisons can be drawn with issues surrounding education. England is trying to resolve its attainment gap by improving primary education so the children achieve better in secondary school. Whereas, Uganda is focusing on improving standards and enrolment into secondary education.

 

Overall, Secondary education in England and Uganda draw comparisons. Secondary education in England is facing problems with attainment and inclusion for students. Whereas, secondary education in Uganda is facing problems with improving enrolment and standards of education.

 

 

References

Chapman, D. Burton, L. and Werner, J. (2010). Universal secondary education in Uganda: The head teachers’ dilemma. International Journal of Educational Development, 30(1), pp.77-82.

 

Hill, D. (2014). The roots of London's secondary school improvements. The Guardian. [online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2014/oct/26/the-roots-of-londons-secondary-school-improvements [Accessed 19 Nov. 2014].

 

Kirungi, F. (2000). Uganda Tackling school bottlenecks. 1st ed. [ebook] Kampala: African Recovery. Available at: http://www.un.org/en/africarenewal/subjindx/childpdf/childed3.pdf. [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].

 

West, A. and Hind, A. (2003). Secondary school admissions in England: Exploring the extent of overt and covert selection. London: RISE, pp.1-3.