Adult Learning in Uganda

Abstract

Uganda has recognized the importance of adult learning in policy statements and programmes. Some achievements have been documented in adult learning provision by government and other agencies but challenges have also been documented. To gain better insight into those documented observations, UNATCOM supported the Government to conduct an assessment of adult learning in Uganda to guide in making adult learning more relevant to the current situation and contribute to a literate, productive and prosperous society in the post 2015 era. The assessment was carried out through desk study, data collection in all regions of Uganda and a regional consultative meeting in each of the four regions of the country. The findings revealed that the understanding of adult learning in Uganda is getting broader, moving from the narrow identification of adult learning with adult literacy towards alignment with the understanding adopted by the international community as found in the Belem Framework and the 2015 UNESCO Recommendation on Adult Education and Learning. Uganda's long term perspective plan, Vision 2040, and the national development plans (NDP) designed to realise the long-term vision have elaborated strategies that include learning by youth and adults. In terms of specific policies and plans that focus on adult learning, the Government programme is still to some extent guided by the comprehensive 1992 Government White Paper on Education, of which many aspects concerning adult learning were not implemented. The Government in 2014 came up with the narrow-focused National Adult Literacy Policy. The increasingly broader understanding and demand for adult learning implies that there is need to re-establish, update and adopt the more comprehensive policy on adult learning. Current implementation strategies and practices by Government and many non-government agencies in Uganda to some extent reflect and are guided by the broader understanding. However, the alignment of the practice to the broader understanding is still happening in a rather ad-hoc manner, not much through a systematic regular design. Moreover, the practice is hampered by numerous challenges, particularly: insufficient financing, inadequately trained and motivated human resources, poor learning facilities and insufficient equipment and materials. There are, however, a number of examples of systematised implementation reflecting the broader understanding and making for integrated, holistic provision and participation. It is recommended that these examples are picked up and scaled up to enable adult education and learning to make its due contribution to lifelong learning in Uganda. Further research is required particularly on: quantitative assessment of amount of provision, prioritization of adult learning by the government and the different stakeholders, relevance of the provision in responding appropriately to market demands, obstacles to collaboration and synergy building among the different providers and actual and potential resources available for adult learning.