The Experience Sensitizing Pupils In The Primary Schools Project

The students that took part in the primary schools project

This report is an encounter we had while being engaging ourselves in the empowerment of children by educating them about their rights, responsibilities, offences committed by both children and adults against children, places and people children can go to for help in case their rights are infringed upon during the Primary Schools Project, Clinical Legal Education (CLE) The report will look at lo

cation of the schools, means used to reach the schools, time of arrival and departure, interaction with pupils and staff, challenges and recommendations.

First things first

As we were preparing to go out to educate the pupils we made a number of preparations which included making charts for the pupils, presentations before the lecturer and our fellow students who asked questions in order to prepare us. We were also given recommendations on how to proceed with our presentations in the schools. This took two lessons of the clinical class but later we were approved and it’s upon this that we were able to go out to the different schools to present.

The different schools we were supposed to visit were suggested by students in class and the lecturer drafted letters informing the school heads to allow us in their schools. Fortunately enough, five primary schools confirmed that we could talk to their pupils. These schools were Mbuya Church of Uganda Primary School, Seers Primary School, Kiswa Primary School, Tega Parents Primary School and Joy Parents Nursey and Primary School.

Our motivations and the reasons for the training included to empower the primary School children about their rights including the right to life, food shelter, protection among others and to clarify the essential aspects of the rights; to empower the children about the responsibilities and offences committed by them and offences committed against them; to gain experience, adventure and capacitate our individual abilities in the area of child rights and the various laws that govern it; and to explore the different challenges faced by children in schools and the various channels they can approach to resolve those challenges.

THE VISIT TO MBUYA CHURCH OF UGANDA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Akankwasa Charlotte in Mbuya Church of Uganda Primary School

This was our first project. 14 students and our instructor Ms. Achieng Mirriam set off for the journey at around 8am in the morning from the university, Faculty of Law where we had converged using the university Sports Department coaster.

On our way, along Bweyogerere road, we were faced with huge traffic typical of the infamous Kampala-Jinja Road that lasted us over 30 minutes. This slowed us down since we were expected to be at these schools at 9am. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the school administration and the pupils who had not tired waiting for us.

Our arrangement was that a pair of CLE students handled each primary and in that way we hoped to have every class covered. At about 9: 30am, each pair was shown their respective class that they were supposed to talk to. The facilitation took about one and a half hours.  

We educated the pupils about their inherent rights, and these included; a right to food, shelter, protection among others. We also had to taught them their obligations and duties as children.   From the comments after the facilitation, everyone was happy and satisfied since the pupils had been very active and interactive. 

SEERS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Nantongo Fotunate Educating The Pupils At Kiswa Primary School

This was our second project. We convened at the Faculty of Law, which was our meeting place, at 6am. We however left the university an hour later because we had constrains finding a faster means of transport. We therefore had to hire a taxi. The taxi delayed us by about 2 hours and we reached late to our destination in Kanyanya. Along the way, we faced a problem of heavy rained which also slowed us down. We also got lost on our way since weren’t sure about the location. However, after asking for directions, we managed to locate the school but we couldn’t reach on time because of the muddy murram roads, which forced us to walk to the school.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed but we noticed that the pupils were relatively fewer as compared to those at Mbuya Primary School. For example, the Primary Seven (7) class had ten (10) pupils. The classrooms were too small and close to each other and therefore a person in one room could actually hear how the facilitation in the next room was going. This became a challenge since it led to low concentration among the pupils. Nevertheless, we concluded the facilitation and we were able to depart at 11am. We had to carry out a facilitation at another school.

KISWA PRIMARY SCHOOL.

Kiswa Primary School Pupils

After leaving Seers Primary school, we set off for our third project, which was Kiswa Primary School. We set off for this project at 11am and reached by 11: 45am because it was near. Unlike any other school before, this school had a big number of pupils.  They were divided into streams. The Primary Seven (7) class was unavailable so the pair that was to handle that class was told to handle a stream in Primary Five, and another of Primary Six. This project proved to be more tiresome since the streams were so many and they all had to be covered. It even took longer since some pupils narrated some of the problems they face at home. Through the narrations however, we realized that the project had been successful since they had learnt their rights and had chosen to narrate how their parents and guardians infringe on these rights. The facilitation took more time than that first two projects. By 3:30pm, we had reached the university.

TEGA PARENTS SCHOOL, BUIKWE

We convened at the Faculty of Law at 7am, and we set off at 8am. This was our fourth project. We travelled by a university van and by 9:20am, we were in Buikwe. The dusty roads frustrated us but however, we managed to carry on and by 9:30am, we were shown the classes were to supposed to facilitate. This was our hardest project because;
first of all the pupils did not understand English and we therefore had to facilitate in Luganda

The Primary Seven class had sat for their Primary Leaving Examinations and and had already set off for their holidays. Therefore, the pair that was supposed to facilitate that class was forced to facilitate the Nursery Section which was tiresome since they literary did not understand anything. They resorted to singing, dancing and story-telling which was not fulfilling our purpose for the project.

As compared to the previous school, the pupils and facilities were fewer. The facilitation was successful despite the challenges and by 12pm, we had reached the university.

JOY PARENTS NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL, NABUTI

Viola At Joy Nursey

This was our fifth project.  We convened at 7am at the Faculty amidst drizzles of rain. Despite the drizzles, we managed to set off by 8am in a taxi. On our way, it rained heavily and as a result, we reached the school later than the agreed time. Also, because of the heavy rains, the pupils were very few in class since most of them had not turned up. The rains forced the pupils to first mop the classes since the rain water had flooded their classrooms. Nevertheless, after the mopping activity, the classes were clean and the facilitation started. The pupils were very active, and seemed to enjoy the facilitation. Basically, it went well but we faced a challenge of muddy roads on our way back since we used foot as a mean of transport. Despite the muddy roads, we were at the university by 1:30pm.

Throughout the primary schools project, we concluded that generally Kiswa Primary School was the best project since the pupils were very organized, active and interactive.

The Lessons learnt during the project.

We learnt to handle various challenges exhibited in this field such as controlling children in the absenture of their teachers; We learnt more about children’s right through the research we made in Children’s Rights and throughout the interaction with the children, we got to know of their problems and we endeavored to advice and counsel them accordingly.

We learnt how to motivate children in order to be active. This was through engaging them in co-curricular activities like singing, dancing, sweet contest and storytelling.

Challenges

The genesis of this whole experience exhibited several challenges, both individually and as a group which proved to be a hindrance in this field of learning.

We encountered a challenge of language barrier as some children were not conversant with English, so we had to use other languages like Luganda for those that were conversant with it. This was the case in Tega Parents in Buikwe

The other challenge was about the unavailability of the university vehicle that forced us to hire taxis which made us set off late making us conduct our training out of time.

We also faced a problem of traffic jam to distant schools for example when we were going to Mbuya Church of Uganda Primary, we got stuck in bweyogerere for 30 minutes which was a problem because we were supposed to be there on time.

On certain occasions we had to walk back because we were short of transport means.

The other challenge was the fact that we did not have anything to eat during the time when we’re teaching and some students experienced ulcers because of the hunger and some roads were terrible that we had to move out of the vehicle so that we would not slide with the vehicle.

In the instance of educating teachers, the challenge was that some of the teachers were unavailable for the lessons

There was another aspect of language where by some teachers needed interpretation of some words from English to the local language

Our recommendations

We recommend that the Faculty of Law through the Dean, course unit lecturer and other stake holders should ensure that such projects are catered for by prior planning for example on transport means since students will be representing the university in those schools. Students offering the subject should always be prepared with their teaching materials, ready to go to both town and village schools and equipped with umbrellas and sweaters for any climate changes while in the field, among many other precautions.

Generally, the project was successful because we were able to go to at least five schools although we a had anticipated to go to six but because of the delayed response we successfully went to five schools, the pupils out of the questions we asked we were able to evaluate that they understood.  We believe that such projects are very important in every law students life because it really empowered us and we were able to practically express everything we are taught in class.

This is an account by 14 UCU Law students of Clinical Legal Education Kyokwijuka Viola, Mwesigwa  Jemimah, Mwebaza Mercy, Naigaga Moureen, Natukunda Sheila, Naigaga Shube, Musinguzi Mercy, Nazziwa Roselyne Anabell, Achola Felista, Kembabazi Joan, Adong Gloria, Nantongo Fortunate, Akankwasa  Sharlot M, Lutoto Charity Martha, Mumbere Rogers  under the supervision of Ms. Mirriam Achieng.