Who we are

An independent not-for-profit organisation operating in Uganda since October 2019, Uwezo Uganda  actively seeks to contribute to a society in which all children are learning and realising their full potential. We work towards this by demonstrating how to improve learning outcomes and keeping communities and leaders focused on learning through assessment, research, innovations, partnerships and advocacy.  

For 10 years, we generated and disseminated independent assessment data, and contributed to amplifying the evidence of low learning outcomes and the fact that schooling does not equate to learning as a program under Twaweza East Africa. 

Latest News

We are delighted to be participating in this year’s Comparative International Education Society (CIES) annual conference taking place from March 10-14, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, Florida. In case you will be attending the conference, please join us for any of these sessions where our staff and partners will be presenting.

If you agree or believe, like we do, that ‘early childhood education (ECE) is a key investment for improving learning and future outcomes’ check out our newly published co-authored article on Understanding Access to and Learning Outcomes From ECE Among Refugees and Non-Refugee Populations in Uganda’ here

Uwezo Uganda is participating in the ongoing 20th biennial International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT) Conference 2023, in Bari, Italy. Our Executive Director, Dr. Mary Goretti Nakabugo delivered a presentation on; Using facilitated advocacy to engage teachers in dialogue with other community actors for improved learning outcomes and it can be accessed here

We are looking for Graduate Interns to learn and contribute to any of the following areas: Assessment & Action, Research & Experimentation, Communication & Advocacy, Finance & Admin, and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning. Visit: https://uwezouganda.org/careers/internships/ or see details per the poster on twitter

We are thrilled to be part of the CIES 2023 conference taking place on 18-22 Feb, in Washington DC. We shall be presenting and chairing various sessions per the poster here

Find more news here

Latest Projects

Uwezo Uganda is partnering with Luigi Giussani Institute of Higher Education (LGIHE) to coordinate the implementation of the Assessment of Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE) activities in Uganda. ALiVE is a program  of the Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI) in East Africa, a network of over 70 organisations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who are working to support the improvement of learning outcomes for all children.

ALiVE, which focuses on four competencies: Self-awareness, Collaboration, Problem-solving, and Respect, targets both in and out of school adolescents, aged 13 to 17 years, with an aim of;

  1. Generating large-scale evidence on life skills and values by developing context-relevant, open- source tools for assessing life skills and values in East Africa, targeting adolescents aged 13 to 17 years, both in and out of school;
  2. Raising awareness among policy actors, teachers, parents and young persons by using the evidence to increase attention to the worth of these competences among stakeholders;
  3. Strengthening local capacities and amplifying East Africa’s voice through animating a regional community of learning and practice on the methods and measurement of life skills and values, replicable at the national and regional levels for sustainability, and engaging other institutions in the globe working on these.

On 22-27th March 2022, Uwezo Uganda and LGIHE conducted a training of enumerators and a full district pilot in 20 villages/enumeration areas in Buikwe district, in preparation for the actual household-based assessment in August 2022 in 20 districts. The pilot assessment was undertaken by a team of 20 community volunteers from Buikwe district and 10 student teachers from Makerere University, supported by a team of selected trainers and technical team members from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Uwezo assessments have been conducted within the last ten years and have specifically highlighted low learning outcomes as well as bringing to the fore inequalities in learning. Through conducting these assessments and sharing findings globally, Citizen Led Assessments (CLAs) have been referenced as credible sources of assessment data and nationally Uwezo findings have triggered educational evaluations and programs for improving learning.

In its strategy (2020-2023), the assessment of basic numeracy and literacy skills is underscored as a core activity that will lead Uwezo to meeting its goals and mission. The last Uwezo Assessment was conducted three years ago in 2018, necessitating the generation of up to date data on the status of children’s learning in Uganda. The assessment to be conducted in 29 districts is planned for June 2021 and will additionally focus on obtaining data on children’s experiences of out-of-school learning during the pandemic as well as other aspects of their social economic background and education. As previously done, the school survey will be conducted alongside the household survey in order to generate data on schools in relation to learning outcomes. This would enrich the school based data through monitoring of the responses of schools to the current circumstances of restricted attendance and the needs of children not in school. The household survey will also include, among others, a question about whether children have been re-enrolled in school and, if not, the reasons given. Further to this, the importance of generating data on WASH and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators both at home and at school will be an add on to the assessment.

Our previous learning assessment reports can be accessed at: https://uwezouganda.org/publications/reports/

Uwezo Uganda, within the first year of its implementation has planned to scale up the pilot assessment of young people’s reading, writing and math. In 2019, we developed an approach to assessing functional/everyday reading, writing and math skills among young persons (14-20 years of age) in Wakiso district with support from Oxford Policy Management. The pilot assessment adapted the Uwezo methodology, infrastructure and experience in conducting learning assessments to generate evidence on what young Ugandans (14-20 years) can do in terms of everyday Young Persons’ functional reading, writing and math skills.

 

Pilot assessment Report; MEASURING YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERACY AND NUMERACY COMPETENCIES REQUIRED IN THE WORKPLACE AND EVERYDAY LIFE