The Education Thematic Area Story

EDUCATION THEMATIC AREA ACHIEVEMENTS 0ver the yeARS 2016-2021

The long-term objective of the Education Thematic Area is to: “Facilitate improvement in Quality of Education in UPE Schools”

The short-term objectives are:

1. Improved rates in literacy
2. Improved rates in numeracy
3. Improved pass rates in UNEB Primary Results.

Pilot: The Map Showing The 20 Focus Districts

The focus districts were selected based on their poor performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) for the period 2010 – 2015. These were the worst performing in learning outcomes for the 5 consecutive years.

PMDU’S Priority Interventions For Improving Learning Outcomes Over Time are illustrated in the graph below;

Teacher presence is a foundation to improving learning outcomes and has been prioritized by PMDU for the 6 years before other interventions could be embarked on

The Education Thematic Area has been tracking teacher presence on duty in collaboration with key ministries of Education, Local Government and Public Service who engage to come up with feasible solutions. 20 districts were selected based on their performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) for the period 2010 – 2015 . The selected districts had the worst learning outcomes for 5 consecutive years. Teacher presence IS a foundation to improving learning outcomes and was prioritized by PMDU for the last 6 years before other interventions could be embarked on. 1. Bukwo 2. Kween 3. Bududa 4. Bulambuli 5. Serere 6. Sironko 7. Buyende 8. Namutumba 9. Buvuma 10. Bugiri 11. Mbale 12. Kaliro 13. Kayunga 14. Mayuge 15. Soroti 16. Tororo 17. Manafwa 18. Paliisa 19. Luuka 20. Kapchorwa On the right, a PMDU officer talks to the staff of a UPE school in presence of the headteacher during one of spot checks to verify teacher presence data.

Courtesy call on Teachers by a PMDU officer during a field visit to BUDINI Boys Primary School, Kaliro District

Two of the PMDU’s five principles for service delivery improvement are delivery planning and progress reporting using real time data packs.

The need for real time data to facilitate decision making has been aided by a self-reporting system demonstrated in the figure below:

Significant improvement in teacher attendance has been realized overtime. However, with the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, it is uncertain how the trend will be;

Teacher attendance trends in UPE schools within the 20 focus districts – prior to the COVID 19 pandemic.

               Source: PMDU & MoES Data

The Graph Showing Percentage of Pupils Passing in Division 1 to 4 (2015-2020)

• According to the 2019 PLE results, 13 out of the 20 focus districts transitioned out of the worst 20 districts nationally. Soroti district scored among the top 21 best performing districts in the whole country, 14 of the 20 focus districts obtained over 80% pass in the PLE exams.
• The rewards and sanctions committees have been rejuvenated and are more effective as data is readily available to inform management decision making. Kayunga, Manafwa, Sironko and Kween have consistently done well in data uptake.

Through the EPAKS Project funded by the World Bank, PMDU is rolling out the biometric system for tracking staff attendance to duty alongside health in an additional 20 districts in the Eastern region.

PMDU Officers with Ngora DLG leaders and managers after a biometric technology sensitization session

PMDU Officers with Kumi DLG leaders and managers after a biometric technology sensitization session

This is the Education Thematic Area Story.