Bugiri, (UG):– The minister of state for higher education Hon. Dr. John Chrysestom Muyingo has asked schools to adopt digital ways of educating children citing that it is the way to go in the current era of technological advancement.
Dr Muyingo says the advancement in technology has been rare in schools except in international schools, citing that it can be adopted by a number of schools such that children can be taught and learn using computers.
The minister was on Friday represented by the commissioner in charge of private schools and institutions at the Ministry of Education and Sports Mr Mutekanga George at the digital launch in Bugiri at York Nursery and Primary School on Friday, where he said it is good to use ICT in teaching students.
“The ICT integration of transferring knowledge is the best and education cannot remain static and it is essential especially when it comes to this era when the world is increasing in technology. This is no longer optional but something which should be everywhere in schools,” reads part of Dr Muyingo’s message.
He also asked the school to allow the nearby schools to also benchmark from the school such that they can also borrow the knowledge and enhance the quality of teaching and learning, adding that it is the way to go despite the number of challenges not limited to costs of equipment.
“We commend the directors for the work. The challenges we have seen are the costs and I request the schools around to come and benchmark from this school for capacity building. This will make all schools better in Bugiri and the surroundings,” he said.
The school which is under the proprietorship of the state minister for general duties in the office of the Prime Minister Rt. Hon Justine Kasule Lumumba and her husband Patrick Lumumba have made advancements in teaching and learning where pupils use smart boards, computers and tablets and according to Ms. Lumumba, it saves time and helps the child to grasp how concepts work out.
“Besides the international schools, it is the first to teach children using computers. In this learning for example, a child can understand and see how the heart functions and can be able to see how blood flows into and out of the heart. This saves time because a lot can be learnt in a short time,” Minister Lumumba said.
She added that they are also emphasizing other skills in children like bakery, farming, catering and athletics, among others. She said the government is in plan to lobby computer factories that can assemble the smart boards within the country such that a number of schools can afford the equipment.
The municipal education officer Bugiri Municipality Mr. Were Isaiah commended the proprietor for having a bigger vision which has seen Bugiri to be ahead of other districts with an international school.
Speaking to this publication, Mr. Were commented on the new curriculum which was introduced in secondary schools saying it will be mastered by many teachers and learners despite the challenges at the start of introducing it.
“We admit that the government introduced the new curriculum before carrying out thorough training of teachers to master it. However, it is good and practical and we expect it to work out well as time goes on,” Mr. Were said before adding that the government started the new curriculum in secondary education before driving it to the primary level.
Mr. Elupe Mesh, the head of development products at iLearnEx, a company which supplied the software to the school said they have taken a year to develop applicable software and sat as a team to digitalize the curriculum such that a child can go back home with knowledge in line with technology.
“We are value-added resellers who assemble the spare parts of gadgets and design them based on the client’s desires. He said they have eliminated the use of blackboards and ensured the functionality of digital boards where teachers can save their work and it can be used by pupils at any time,” Mr. Elupe said at the launch.
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