Kamuli, Uganda: The Ministry of Education and Sports has donated science teaching kits to 20 government-aided primary schools in Kamuli Municipality as part of efforts to strengthen practical science education and improve learners’ understanding of science subjects.
The equipment was officially handed over during a ceremony held at Kamuli Girls Boarding Primary School on Wednesday, presided over by the Assistant Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Kamuli Municipality, Michael Museebe.
The donated kits include models of the human heart, human skeleton, digestive system, ear, and other instructional materials designed to enable teachers to conduct practical demonstrations in class and help pupils better understand scientific concepts.
Speaking during the handover, Museebe urged headteachers and teachers to safeguard the equipment and ensure it is used solely for improving science teaching and learning.
“I ask the headteachers to handle these kits with care and make good use of them so that they help our pupils to learn science practically. These materials are meant to improve performance and to make science interesting for learners,” Museebe said.
“Government is committed to building a knowledge-based economy, and the foundation for that must be laid right from primary school,” he added.
Headteachers welcome support
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary schools, Benge David Benjamin, the Headteacher of Kamuli Township Primary School, thanked the government for the timely intervention and pledged that the equipment would be put to proper use.
“We thank the Government of Uganda for this donation. As teachers, we reaffirm that we shall implement the teaching of science right from the primary level. The government wants the global economy to be based on scientific innovations, and as teachers we shall implement it,” Benge said.
He noted that for many years, science subjects had largely been taught theoretically because of inadequate teaching aids, affecting learners’ understanding and performance in upper primary and secondary education.
According to Benge, the new equipment will help bridge that gap by enabling learners to see and interact with the concepts they study in class.
The Kamuli Municipal Education Officer, Ivan Wakabi, said the science kits will significantly improve classroom instruction by enabling teachers to conduct practical lessons rather than relying solely on textbooks.
“These science kits will help teachers to teach practical work in classes and help pupils to learn by seeing and touching. Science is no longer about memorizing from textbooks. Children need to experiment and observe,” Wakabi said.
He cautioned schools against misusing the equipment, stressing that the materials remain government property and should be preserved for future learners.
“Part-time teachers should not move these kits from one school to another. Headteachers should keep these kits jealously such that they are not misused or lost. They are government property meant to benefit our children for many years,” he warned.
As schools prepare for the end-of-term holidays, Wakabi also encouraged parents to keep children engaged in learning.
“I encourage parents to keep their children engaged during this forthcoming holiday. Do not let them idle. Support them to revise and to stay in school,” he said.
Boosting STEM education
Education officials said all the beneficiary institutions are government-aided primary schools within Kamuli Municipality, selected based on enrolment levels and the need to improve science performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
Teachers who attended the handover welcomed the initiative, saying the models will make it easier to teach topics such as the human body systems, health and environmental science through practical demonstrations.
Pupils who interacted with the equipment during the exhibition also expressed excitement, noting that they had previously only studied some of the models through textbooks.
Although Kamuli Municipality has registered improved PLE performance in recent years, education stakeholders acknowledged that science and mathematics remain among the subjects requiring additional support.
The Ministry of Education and Sports has been distributing similar science equipment to schools across Uganda under its STEM and competency-based curriculum reforms aimed at promoting hands-on learning.
Officials said monitoring teams will periodically visit beneficiary schools to assess the utilisation of the equipment and provide refresher training for teachers where necessary.
Political leaders led by Kamuli Municipality Mayor Fred Balinango called for stronger collaboration among parents, teachers and government to ensure the new teaching materials translate into improved learning outcomes.
They also urged communities to protect school property from theft and vandalism.
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