Improving Literacy in Uganda: Why Pedagogical Reforms and Intervention Programs are Underperforming

Abstract

Pedagogical reforms, specifically, the Thematic Curriculum and the Local Language Policy, have failed to improve literacy in Uganda despite a concerted effort from the Government of Uganda and its international development partners. This paper distills the major literacy programs used to scale up the reforms nationwide and summarizes what they did and their effects on the different components of reading. It concludes with a discussion on why the reforms and their intervention programs underperformed. It argues for a reform approach that ensures that the system has sufficient capacity to deliver the new content and pedagogy before implementation.