The Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda will consider investing in early childhood care and education for at least one year of pre-primary, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of State for Primary Education, indicated. This came as an affirmation to the advocacy call by partners for the government to invest in early childhood education. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of State for Primary Education, made the remarks while speaking at the Second National Early Childhood Care and Education symposium where she represented the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni.

“Government is considering allocating resources especially on early childhood education of pre-primary children, particularly five-year-olds,” said Dr. Kaducu.

The symposium, that was held in March 2023 at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel, Munyonyo, in Kampala, provided a platform for the government and its partners, including the PlayMatters Consortium, to track progress on early childhood care and education. In addition, it was meant to accelerate actionable strategies for advancing quality and equitable early childhood care and education provision in the country.

Participants at the symposium were also able to see a demonstration of a Learning through Play (LtP) session in which Dr. Anne Smiley, the PlayMatters deputy project director for Technical Research, showed the applicability of inclusive LtP approaches in the classroom. “Research findings prove that education systems, particularly continuous professional development structures need to incorporate a focus on learning through play and include ongoing monitoring and support for teachers if we want education quality to improve,” Dr. Smiley said.

She also spelt out the key role that Learning through Play has contributed through quality early childhood and care education saying play can provide an excellent learning environment, instill love for school, and promote holistic development for children. “Engaging play-based methods in the classroom has a positive impact in the early years of children and it provides them with a platform to thrive today and in the future,” Dr. Smiley says.

The two-day conference brought together government officials from various ministries, departments and agencies including Ministry of Education and Sports, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, National Planning Authority, UN Agencies like UNICEF and World Bank, Education in Emergencies partners like PlayMatters, and media houses among others.

The PlayMatters project advocates for inclusive learning opportunities for children to thrive in this world. The project targets children at pre-primary and primary levels aged 3-12+. In Uganda, PlayMatters project has been implemented for three years in the areas of Lamwo and Kyegegwa districts. So far, the project has reached 61,651 children in 64 schools.

Learn more about PlayMatters in Uganda.

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