Kisubi Associated Writers Agency (KAWA) is more than just an organization; it’s an educational movement. Founded by a passionate collective of teachers and authors, KAWA is dedicated to transforming the educational landscape in Uganda. Our core mission revolves around empowering educators and learners through innovative solutions, with a significant focus on digital content creation, comprehensive school leadership professional development, and seamless ICT integration in the teaching and learning process.

At KAWA, we are committed to supporting teachers in implementing cutting-edge pedagogical approaches like Competency-Based Learning and Scenario-Based Learning. We believe in making learning active, engaging, and relevant through learner-centred and real-life activities. Beyond digital innovation, we are also deeply involved in the printing and publishing of high-quality educational materials, fostering a vibrant reading culture, and guiding schools in understanding and implementing effective learning assessments from Early Childhood Development (ECD) all the way to the secondary school level. Our support extends to providing robust school management systems, creating dynamic websites for schools, offering career guidance services, maintaining a free digital library, and managing a free online schools directory, alongside various other outreach initiatives.

The Challenge: Unequal Access and Outdated Resources

Our journey began with a critical observation. Through extensive research, the founders of KAWA identified a significant impediment to quality education in Uganda: a widespread lack of access to essential textbooks. This scarcity is a major contributor to poor academic performance across many schools. The problem is multifaceted:

• Uneven Distribution: Learning materials are often concentrated in urban centers, leaving rural schools and learners at a distinct disadvantage.
• Outdated and Irrelevant Content: Many existing books are either outdated, failing to align with current curricula and knowledge, or simply inappropriate for the specific educational levels and cultural contexts of the learners.
• Prohibitive Costs: The expense of acquiring sufficient and relevant textbooks is a major barrier for many schools and families.

Compounding this issue is the state of many school libraries. While the World Bank highlighted significant challenges in Ugandan school libraries in its 2005 and 2008 reports, many of these issues persist and have evolved. These studies pointed to:

• Inadequate Infrastructure: Many schools lack dedicated library rooms. Often, spaces are converted classrooms, which are typically insufficient in size and lack proper shelving, furniture, essential equipment, and security.
• Insufficient Funding for Maintenance: Consistent financial support for regular library upkeep, including repairs and resource replenishment, is often missing.
• Obsolete and Irrelevant Collections: Where book collections do exist, they are frequently old, worn, and disconnected from current curricula or the interests of today’s students and teachers.
• Stock Degradation and Loss: Poor management practices, a lack of security measures, damage from pests and environmental factors, and theft contribute to the rapid deterioration and loss of library resources.
• Limited Library Literacy: A significant gap exists in the understanding of the vital role and proper use of a school library among both educators and students, hindering even well-established libraries from being used to their full potential.
• Problematic Donation Practices: While donations can be helpful, some books received are not aligned with the specific needs or interests of the recipient institutions, sometimes serving more as “dumping grounds” than as valuable additions to learning resources.
• Lack of Clear Policies and Systems: The absence of clearly articulated school library policies in many institutions, coupled with poor library management systems, further exacerbates these challenges.

More recent observations and ongoing research in the Sub-Saharan African region, including Uganda, indicate that while there have been advancements in some areas, the core challenges of funding, resource relevance, infrastructure, and effective management continue to hinder the potential of school libraries to support learning outcomes effectively. The digital divide also introduces new complexities, where access to digital resources and the skills to use them are not yet universal.

KAWA’s Intervention: A Digital Bridge to Knowledge

Recognizing that mobile phones are increasingly accessible and that the government has made strides in providing computers to more schools, particularly in rural areas, KAWA’s intervention is strategically focused. Our primary goal is to empower teachers to create high-quality, relevant, and accessible digital content. This content can then be easily shared with students and the wider school community using readily available ICT facilities, directly tackling the issues of textbook scarcity, cost, and outdatedness.

By focusing on digital resources, we can:

• Ensure equitable access: Digital content can be distributed more widely and cost-effectively than physical books.
• Keep content current: Digital materials can be updated rapidly to reflect the latest curriculum changes and knowledge.
• Make learning interactive: Digital platforms allow for engaging and interactive learning experiences that cater to diverse learning styles.
• Support teachers: We provide teachers with the skills and tools they need to become creators and facilitators of digital learning.

KAWA is dedicated to working collaboratively with schools, educators, and communities to overcome these hurdles. We believe that by embracing digital innovation and strengthening traditional learning supports, we can create a more equitable and effective educational environment for every Ugandan child.

Stay tuned to our blog for more insights into our projects, success stories, and how you can be a part of this educational transformation.