This paper examines the influence of blended pedagogy in facilitating the development of digital competences among teacher trainees in a leading University in Uganda. This is an action research that took place between August and November, 2019, in which data were collected from third-year teacher trainees at School of Education in a pre-and post-intervention survey environment. At the beginning of August 2019, a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) seeking the opinions about the teacher trainees' digital competences was administered. In the course of the semester, the researchers introduced a blended pedagogy approach through offering online tutorials to the teacher trainees using a MOODLE learning management system referred to as Makerere University Electronic Learning Environment (MUELE) in the course unit known as Evaluation of Instruction. Prior to the beginning of semester one examinations in November 2019, the same SAQ was administered to teacher trainees to examine the influence of blending online tutorials in nurturing their digital competences. Findings indicate improved competences in teacher trainees' digital competences in line with navigation in the internet environment, operating mobile internet, operating internet-based search engines, and formal internet skills. Other competences that teacher trainees demonstrated improvement include digital information and communication competences. The study, however, indicated minimal improvement in teacher trainees' digital competences in content creation. Consequently, it is recommended that teacher educators should deliberately adopt the use of blended pedagogy to enable teacher trainees develop the various digital competences expected from the twenty-first-century teacher.

The major intention of this study was to assess the perception of college administrators on the extent to which Teacher-educators exhibit the required pedagogical Skills to be emulated by their trainees to the expectations of the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. The authors of this paper were motivated by the notion that Teacher-educators ought to exhibit desirable pedagogical Skills as a mentorship strategy to their trainees. There is a persistent public outcry about the pseudo-trained graduates from Primary Teachers’ Colleges (PTCs) in Uganda. The objectives of this study were threefold, namely: (1) identify the pedagogical Skills stipulated in the ECE curriculum for teacher trainees in PTCs; (2) establish the extent to which teacher-educators facilitate their trainees to acquire the required pedagogical Skills in the ECE curriculum; and (3) find out the challenges associated with Teacher-educators’ competencies to exhibit pedagogical Skills in PTCs in Eastern Uganda. A phenomenology research design was adopted with a qualitative approach. Thirty-eight informant interviews and nineteen focus group discussion schedules were conducted with participants who included; Principals, Deputy Principals, the Director of Studies and an ECE Official from Kyambogo University. The key findings indicated that the Primary Teacher Education (PTE) curriculum of 2012 stipulates pedagogical Skills to be exhibited by Teacher-educators to their trainees; however, teacher-educators experienced the inability to exhibit desirable pedagogical Skills for their trainees to emulate. It was difficult for the Teacher-educators to offer what they never possessed. The greatest challenge reported by the majority of the participants was inadequate funding and yet ECE is a practical learning area and limited access to opportunities for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses for capacity building was yet another concern. It was therefore, recommended that Teacher-educators be trained to acquire desirable competencies in exhibiting pedagogical Skills so as to mentor and support their trainees. If the quality of teacher education is to be realised as expected, Teacher-educators’ CPDs on pedagogical Skills are crucial. Trainees are expected to tap into the vast experience of their Teacher-educators through mentorship as emphasised by the Vygotsky social-cultural theory.

This study evaluates stakeholders’ perceptions of the actualisation of the formal, non-formal, as well as guidance and counselling curriculum in Uganda’s Seed secondary schools. Using a stratified four-stage cluster design, twelve Seed secondary schools, 630 students from senior three and four, and 93 teachers were randomly selected. Using purposive sampling, eight school administrators, four officials from the Directorate of Education Standards (DES), and 48 parents, were selected. Data collection was through administering interviews with school administrators and DES officials, conducting focus group discussions with teachers and parents, and self-administered questionnaires to students. A document review of institutional files and documents was done. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic coding and major themes emerged from the analysis; quantitative data was analysed using SPSS software. Findings on the actualisation of the formal curriculum show low levels of lesson preparations, teacher punctuality, parents’ monitoring of students learning, formative assessments, full-time teaching, equipped science laboratories, and the presence of computer laboratories, digital resources, and ICT teachers. Concerning the implementation of the non-formal curriculum, findings reveal inadequate time, facilities and equipment for co-curricular activities, several stakeholders managing discipline among students including prefects, disciplinary committees, parents, and the disciplinary committee of the board of governors, and poor medical care for students since the posted nurses abscond from duty. Lastly, concerning the implementation of guidance and counselling curriculum, findings indicate that several mechanisms like guidance and counselling programs, the existence of a career’s master/mistress, class visiting days are missing in most of the schools, and the psychosocial needs of students were not met. It is concluded that, to a large extent, a significant gap exists in the implementation of the official curriculum in seed secondary schools of Uganda. The study recommends the recruitment of more teachers on the government payroll in all seed secondary schools in the country. This will make teachers available at the school for consultation with students at all times. Construction and equipping of both science laboratories and computer laboratories in all seed secondary schools. Regular monitoring and close supervision of seed secondary schools by the relevant organs of the Ministry of Education and Sports should be effectively carried out. There is a need for the construction of staff houses at seed schools to maintain teacher presence for the effective implementation of non-formal curricular activities.

Assessment is an integral aspect of teaching and learning in an academic institution. It provides the primary information based on to make several decisions by the different stakeholders. The vital nature of this information makes assessment an expensive venture. Educational institutions incur a lot of costs in administration of these assessments and yet they are financially struggling to meet their budgets.  However, low-cost strategies are available to bring about authentic assessment of learners. Consequently, this article presents findings about adoption of low-cost assessment strategies in financially constrained higher education institutions. Specifically, the study was conducted in teacher education pedagogy at one of the public universities in Uganda to establish the adopted low-cost assessment strategies. A qualitative research approach based on a descriptive study design was used to investigate this study. Data was collected using observation, interview and documentary review methods. Study findings established use of presentations, hands-on exercises, peer assessment, tests, drama and take-home assignments as the low-cost assessment strategies adopted by individual lecturers in higher education institutions in Uganda. It was concluded that the adopted low-cost assessment strategies in resource-constrained institutions have the potential to nurture 21st century citizens. And therefore, a recommendation for university-wide adoption of low-cost assessment strategies was suggested to management of higher education institutions in resource-constrained countries.

This study is a systematic investigation into the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the economic welfare of private secondary school teachers in a low developed country (LDC). Precisely, the study assesses the opportunities and challenges faced by the teachers in question. Given the fact that the vast majority among the private teaching fraternity went without a pay for a period close to twenty-two months, there is no doubt that many of them experienced financially unbearable long rough period to deal with, and a very big task of forging means of survival. The study thus renders a further inquiry into teachers’ newly acquired opportunities; their financial considerations with regard to these opportunities as well as the possibility of having these teachers freely leave their new lucrative opportunities to run back to classrooms. As per its finding, this study revealed that; the long time on the side-lines inevitably necessitated a quick change in (private) teachers’ mind-set. With the closure of schools, teachers were left with no further option but to take on alternative duties or else remain redundant all through the lock down period. The pandemic rendered various implications to private teachers’ economic welfare; with the most apparent ones being a remarkable decline in their income and savings. As it goes that; desperate moments call for desperate measures, the most flexible among these private secondary teaching fraternity quickly jumped onto carrying out all sorts of hustles at their disposal just to make sure that their financial welfare is not totally derailed. In this, majority teachers found more lucrative alternatives to their teaching profession and as such, many currently find themselves very reluctant to resume teaching, even with the lifting of the school shut down. Ultimately, as face-to-face teaching and learning resumes, the study recommends that teachers need help to adjust to the new normal and lift their spirits once more. They need assistance from the government, along with clarity from policymakers to effectively support them in striking a balance between their profession as well as their economic welfare during and after the current pandemic.