Still a long walk to full literacy

Although there has been a steady rise in literacy levels in Uganda during the past decade with a literacy rate of 72 per cent as at the last population census of 2014, data derived from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2022 shows that two out of every 10 Ugandans of 15 years and above still cannot read. 

This adds up to about 9.2 million Ugandans. This, coupled with post Covid statistics from studies conducted by Education Assessment experts Uwezo Uganda, shows that in excess of 9 million Ugandans cannot read and make sense of materials placed before them in order to gain enlightenment. 

The 2021 Uwezo report shows that 39.5 per cent of learners from Primary Three to Primary Seven were able to read by the time of the survey. Some of the reasons cited for this phenomenon include inadequate teaching methods and materials.

Many children and young adults, particularly in hard to reach areas are struggling with lack of access to the right instruction or materials to unlock learning. This contributes to unemployment and missed opportunities for a significant part of the population to contribute to economic activity and nation building.

While there is now widespread access to free education, it is imperative for the education authorities to examine causes of non-attendance at school, ensure schools are well equipped with reading materials, spaces and teachers to promote literacy. The absence of libraries and text books to promote reading is also one of the big impediments to reading in schools. Innovative individuals have come up with ideas such as the mobile library but initiatives like this need to be scaled and supported.

An illiterate population is not an empowered one and cannot be relied upon to make informed choices, ranging from health-seeking behaviour to poverty alleviation. Where some sections of the population have fallen through the cracks during early stages of learning, efforts should be made to remedy the literacy gaps with adult learning spaces as well as other community initiatives through which instruction can be delivered via broadcast and leveraging on the extensive mobile phone coverage to deliver knowledge and spark curiosity for learning.

Once basic literacy is achieved, efforts must be made to encourage continuous learning. By engaging in methods such as community based learning, government will be able to circumvent issues such as limited human resources for teaching. All possible means should be explored in order to combat illiteracy in Uganda at all levels.