REFLECTIONS ON EDUCATION

The purpose of education may vary depending on where one lives. As noted by Dewey, (The Philosopher, 2000, para. 1), “Any education is, in its forms and methods, an outgrowth of the needs of the society in which it exists.” This means that each society shapes the purpose of its education depending on what it needs to achieve for and through its people.

Purpose of Education in Uganda

Eradication of illiteracy
Education in Uganda serves the purpose of eradicating illiteracy. For that reason, in 1997, Universal Primary Education was introduced with the hope of doing just that. The hope is that most of the population can be able to read and write and therefore be able to find better sources of employment.

 
Prepare society with skills to survive, thrive, and contribute to community development.
In the past, most of what students received in the classroom did not prepare them for life after school. Mutesi (n.d.) notes that a new curriculum was rolled out in schools to equip learners with tangible skills. Since the old curriculum only channeled graduates without practical skills to meet the changing demands of the labor market, there is a need to equip students with skills that will contribute to the development of society.

Promote moral values
Moral education is a critical aspect of one’s life because it aids character formation. With a country so corrupt, moral values as a purpose for education is very critical because these are a necessary ingredient for success. According to Rashid (2021), moral values have a significant impact on a student’s achievement which makes it a necessity for it to be taught in school.

The Scholar Academic Ideology
This ideology is defined through the need to find and gain knowledge. Teachers pass on knowledge to their learners who in turn advance to the hierarchy. According to Schiro, (2013), education serves the purpose of enabling students to learn the knowledge of our culture which covers the content, frameworks, and their thinking.

The Social Efficiency Ideology
In this ideology, schooling is designed to meet society’s needs by training and equipping young people for the life ahead (Schiro, 2013). This ideology emphasizes the need for students to practice to gain and master skills learned as these will enable them to be productive. Teachers are therefore tasked to decide what students should be learning, why and how they should learn (Alanazi, 2016) meaning that the teacher controls the classroom. With this ideology, skill acquisition is very critical because students are prepared to contribute to the needs of society.

 
The Learner-Centered Ideology
Here, the students oversee their learning in the sense that their innate abilities play a very central role in how they learn. It is important that they ask questions that help them in developing their critical thinking abilities. As McCarthy (2015) highlights, a student’s learning journey will deepen when given the opportunity to make contributions to their learning. When this happens, it is more likely for them to have a buy-in which in turn increases their involvement.

The Social Reconstruction Ideology
With this ideology comes the belief that society is imperfect and in need of transformation. Here a teacher’s role is to indulge students in discussions cause them to see the problems in society so that they can find a course of action (Edupedia, 2018). Education’s aim in this ideology is to erase undesirable aspects and instead create a culture where members of society can flourish (Schiro, 2013).

 

The ideology that best suits learners in my context

The Social Efficiency Ideology would best suit learners in my context because now, so many students have been engaged in academic rigor that has not benefitted communities here in Uganda. So many students spend years in school receiving an education that never benefits them as they are not fully equipped to face the world that they have been preparing for all their life. Like a monkey that spends 20 years of its life training to be the best in the forest by learning how to swim only to realize that swimming was not the best skill that was required in a place full of trees, many students have lost precious time that can never be retrieved.
Now, schools in Uganda are rolling out a new curriculum so that students are taught skills relevant to societies needs.

 

Modifications required for student needs to be met

For this to be effective, teachers need to be well trained and equipped to be able to help students achieve success even as they focus on the acquisition of practical skills. This is very important because the majority of the teachers currently teaching in the schools today were trained in the old system. According to NTV Uganda (2020), ample training is necessary because unless they are equipped to handle the changes, then this new curriculum will be ineffective.

Adequate resources in the classroom are of great importance if students are going to be taught properly. For instance, students being taught how to use a computer are going to need computers for the lesson to be effective. It cannot be theoretical and then expect students to understand how a computer works.

All in all, education should meet the learners’ needs and propel them to be productive in the communities in which they dwell. A teacher should be able to assess the needs of his/her students and then meet those needs accordingly. Even with the ideologies listed above, it is important that a teacher closely interacts with the student to find the best possible way in which the lesson can be delivered for effective impact on a student’s time at school. For now, the social efficiency ideology will best serve my milieu especially because the past curriculum has not been effective in creating students who can creatively think outside the box.

References

Alanazi, S. (2016). Comparison for Curriculum Ideologies. American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 2,1- 10 pages. DOI: 10.21694/2378-7031.16021

Edupedia. (2018, June 10). What is Social Reconstructionism? https://www.theedadvocate.org/edupedia/content/what-is-social-reconstructionism/

McCarthy, J. (2015, September 9). Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-starts-with-teacher-john-mccarthy

Mutesi, A. (n.d.). Uganda’s new curriculum for Lower Secondary: Will it meet learners’ skill needs? Parliament Watch. Retrieved November 18, 2021. https://parliamentwatch.ug/blogs/ugandas-new-curriculum-for-lower-secondary-will-it-meet-learners-skill-needs/

NTV Uganda. (2020, February 3). Teacher Training on new Curriculum Kicks off in Nabbingo [Video]. 
Rashid, A. (2019, July 26). Moral Education Builds Moral Values. The Independent. https://m.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/208980

Schiro, M. S. (2013). Curriculum theory: Conflicting visions and enduring concerns (2nd ed.). Sage Publications, Inc. https://talkcurriculum.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/schiro-m-2013-introduction-to-the-curriculum-ideologies.pdf