UNATU wants primary education extended to 8yrs

By Akampa Gilbert Kakurugu,

The Uganda National Teachers’ Union UNATU has proposed the extension of Primary learning from seven to eight years.

According to the general secretary of UNATU Filbert Baguma, learners are joining primary schools at a young age and seven years are not enough to enable them to receive quality education.
Baguma says some learners have knowledge in co-culicular activities and of which these areas are not examined and the school system regards them as failures.
He says lower primary will be used as transitional classes to identify areas of passion of learners.

In its proposal, UNATU wants primary education to be divided into three levels which are lower primary, transition classes and upper primary with learners joining the primary school at 5 years.

The UNATU members presented their proposals to the Education policy review commission in Kampala.