Newspapers as tools of literacy in Uganda : a case study of Daily Monitor's newspapers in education (NiE) programme addressing literacy-related issues in Uganda's primary education

Abstract

This qualitative study was designed to explore how introducing newspapers within the classroom environment impacts literacy levels and reading habits of primary school children using Daily Monitor’s Newspapers in Education (NiE) programme as a case study. The main research questions guiding this study are; what is the focus of the NiE programme by Daily Monitor? And how is the NiE programme contributing towards improving primary education in Uganda?

This study follows the underlying convictions that while in-school campaigns like NiE are good, newspapers are usually considered an adult medium making it difficult for children to easily identify and connect with them. Secondly, while the NiE programme in Uganda has been praised for its success in the schools where it is being implemented, I was reluctant to believe that a programme that has been around for less than three years could have an immediate impact on the pupils’ reading culture and the overall quality of primary education as is being reported in Uganda’s Press.

This research analyses the progression of the NiE programme in three different types of schools; Rural, urban and peri-urban. Furthermore this study provides an insight into the progression of an American-dominated programme such as NiE in an African setting and the challenges faced in localizing such a programme to suit the local needs.

Data were gathered mainly from informative interviews, document review and observation of the NiE programme within the school setting.

This research revealed that getting newspapers in the hands of the learners is a step in the right direction towards improving literacy levels and boosting the reading habits of Ugandan pupils. However, the NiE programme has not yet fully reaped the expected benefits within the participating schools as is being portrayed in the press reports due to a number of factors. The view of this research is that the pupils, teachers and NiE project implementers need more time to fully understand the programme.

The research further revealed that efforts to improve literacy levels and reading habits in primary schools face multifaceted challenges at different levels. The NiE programme in Uganda is working within an education sector that is already grappling with several quality issues that are undermining the progress of the programme. This research recommends deliberate efforts to be made at home, school and policy levels to create a favorable environment for the NiE programme to succeed in boosting the literacy levels and reading habits of primary school children in Uganda.