Joselyn Atyang is the headteacher of the Bidong Primary School in Uganda’s Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. The school has 2,550 learners of whom over 1,500 are refugee children. Classrooms are overcrowded.
In addition to overcrowding, Joselyn’s school faces shortages of critical resources, including desks and toilets – especially for girls. Language barriers further complicate classroom instruction and inclusion.
To address these challenges, investment by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) has been used to create more inclusive learning environments and to support and offer development opportunities for teachers. The approach to improve the quality of teaching uses an adapted version of Uganda’s Teacher Competency Framework to help educators identify key areas for growth and receive targeted, longer-term professional development.
In 2023, ECW renewed its programme in the country. The expanded programme focuses on access, quality of delivery and the strengthening of systems in support of inclusion across Uganda’s education system. The investment is addressing barriers to quality formal and non-formal education by building and rehabilitating schools and providing children with MHPSS.