In A bid to uplift standards of education and support learners in government and unprivileged schools with quality learning materials which comforts them to new curriculum competence based way of learning, the Private Secretary in charge Political Mobilization and Affairs in partnership with New vision have donated new curriculum text books to 31 primary schools and 8 secondary schools of Ngariam county in Katakwi district as they await more government allocation.

Vision publishing, a brand of vision group in partnership with Kazi Ni kazi foundation under Daniel Mulalu managed to print out over 150 copies for lower secondary curriculum while in primary each got core books.

Angella Atim Emudong, District Education officer Katakwi says the donation of this new curriculum textbooks have come at the right time.

She says the 10 secondary and 28 primary government aided schools across the district have been grappling with shortage of new curriculum books but with this intervention it will help to address the 1:7 pupil to text book ratio yet ideally supposed to be 1:1.

Atim says although the policy states that every pupil has to have textbooks, they are not practicing because the new lower school curriculum are not there.

 While handing over the assortment of this text books, on Thursday Mr. Daniel Mulalu the Private Secretary In charge Political Mobilization and affairs said that the donation is one way of furtherance of the objective to educate the nation affordably.

Mulalu also promised to partner with new vision to print weekly tests for Ngariam county schools and also extend to private schools as he is aware of problems faced with education sector of Katakwi.

Betty Acipa, the deputy head teacher of Apuuton primary school attests that Apuuton having a bigger population of 2,004 pupils almost always conducts lessons with one text book since the curriculum textbooks are few.

James Stephen Engole , the head teacher of Apuuton , also the chairman of Katakwi Secondary schools head teachers association, says although the government through the ministry of Education in 2020 rolled out the lower secondary education  curriculum, the teacher finds it hard to implement because books are few in schools .

Engole is hopeful that with the intervention the learner performance is going to improve as pupil to book ratio will be addressed but asked the government to fasten the process of giving the new curriculum textbooks.

Geoffrey Omolo, the LCV Chairperson of Katakwi district says that the contribution by Mulalu has offloaded burden in the district.  He encouraged all stakeholders to embrace and emulate Mulalu’s initiative since education is among factors contributing to lower performance.

He cited the recent district assessment performance report for Teso where Katakwi was among has factors contributed to but said if such initiatives are developed it gears towards better performance.

Vincent Savior Okwi , the deputy RDC Katakwi  cautions the teachers to utilize the materials donated but also urges stakeholders to capacitate the teachers with training in order to achieve better performance.

He says always when learners fail the first blame is apportioned to teachers and education department a statement he says should be withdrawn because failure and good performance is attributed to all stakeholders.