Mak unveils degree courses for nursery, primary school teachers
Graduates celebrate during the 74th graduation ceremony at Makerere University on January 29, 2024. Makerere University has unveiled two new degree programmes aimed at training early childhood and primary school educators. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
The university has already launched the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care, while the proposed Bachelor of Education in Primary Education is pending approval from the university Senate and the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
Makerere University has unveiled two new degree programmes aimed at training early childhood and primary school educators. This is in response to a government directive requiring all teachers from nursery to secondary level to hold bachelor's degrees by 2030.
The university has already launched the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care, while the proposed Bachelor of Education in Primary Education is pending approval from the university Senate and the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
Speaking at the third East African Teacher Education Symposium at Makerere University on Tuesday, Prof Mathias Mulumba Bwanika, the Dean, School of Education at the College of Education and External Studies, said the new programmes are part of the university’s efforts to align with national teacher policy reforms.
“We have submitted the Bachelor of Primary Education programme to the Senate for consideration,” Prof Mulumba said. “Once approved, we will begin training primary school teachers under this new curriculum,” he added.
He explained that the expansion will lead to the creation of new departments within the College of Education, generating employment opportunities and strengthening the university’s role in foundational teacher training. Until now, Makerere—like many other public universities—primarily focused on training secondary school teachers.
Traditionally, Primary Teachers’ Colleges (PTCs) handled certificate-level training for primary teachers, while National Teachers’ Colleges (NTCs) offered diplomas to those intending to teach at secondary level. However, the National Teacher Policy (2019) changed this framework, requiring that by 2030, all teachers must hold at least a bachelor's degree. The government offered a 10-year transition period (2019–2029) for current teachers to upgrade or face being phased out.
The move is part of a broader effort to professionalise the teaching workforce and improve the quality of education, particularly in early childhood and primary levels, which have long suffered from underqualified personnel.
Prof Mulumba acknowledged that enrollment in the early childhood programme is still low but expressed optimism that numbers will grow as awareness of the new requirements increases. Meanwhile, the newly established Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE) has also begun admitting students into degree programmes.
According to Prof Proscovia Namubiru Ssentamu, the deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UNITE, their institution has received full clearance to offer degree programmes across early childhood, primary, and secondary education. “We have started admitting learners for these accredited programmes. Those who missed the current intake will have a chance to enroll in August,” Prof Namubiru said.
Beyond teacher training, the symposium also addressed the broader need to decolonise education systems across East Africa. Experts advocated for the integration of indigenous knowledge and local languages into formal education.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof Namubiru criticised the lingering influence of colonial curricula in post-independence East Africa. “We still punish children for speaking their mother tongues in schools,” she said. “If local language instruction is good for early childhood, it should be standardised across the country—not just in rural areas,” she added.
She pointed to Tanzania’s model, where Swahili is the medium of instruction in primary school, with English introduced at secondary level, as an example Uganda could emulate. Prof Namubiru also called for the inclusion of traditional games, stories, and learning materials to help children connect with their cultural roots.
While the revised lower secondary curriculum now includes some local content, she noted that only 12 out of Uganda’s 37 local languages are currently examinable at Senior Four. “It’s a start, but more needs to be done. We urge the National Curriculum Development Centre to expand and innovate further,” she said.
Mr George Wilison Ssabavuma, a curriculum specialist at NCDC, said the revised curriculum now features 64 percent local content, 30 percent African, and just six percent foreign material, with most international case studies removed except for a few, such as Chinese examples.
Education experts at the symposium agreed that meaningful curriculum reform must begin with teacher training, arguing that educators must be equipped to deliver locally relevant content from the early years of learning.
