The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic on Education for Indigenous People In Uganda A Case Study of Karamojong Community

Abstract

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak from 2019 has impacted education systems of many countries around the world. Efforts to contain COVID-19 have led to the closure of schools in more than 100 countries worldwide. This situation has also left over one billion learners out of school. For marginalized communities such as indigenous people, the situation has been worse. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous people’s education in Uganda, with focus on Uganda’s Karamojong people. The study is based on qualitative data gathered from newspapers. A total of 25 newspapers from five newspaper organizations in Uganda were used for this research. The gathered data were analyzed using the content analysis method. This study explores the challenges and impact of Covid-19 on the education process of the Karamojong peoples. I focused on the possible strategies that can be applied to limit the challenges they encounter in the education sector as a result of Covid-19. The findings of the study shows that the Covid-19 situation has created both positive and negative impacts on Karamojong education. Secondly, the study found that the Karamojong are contributing to solutions to the negative impacts of Covid-19 by resorting to a traditional way of learning that involves the making wooden “seat packs” for use by student and teachers in the learning teaching process. This indigenous solution aligned with social distancing protocols, while being affordable to low-income earners. The findings also show that COVID-19 has nevertheless had adverse effects on education for Karamojong in the form of learning disruptions, decreased access to education and research facilities, and high student debts. Attempts were made to use of technology as an alternative to the traditional teaching method. However, the online system of teaching was hindered challenges such as poor internet connection, unstable electricity supply, and poor digital skills. The study underscores the damaging effects of COVID-19 on the education sector in general, and highlights the need for all educational institutions, educators, and learners to adopt technology in order to improve their digital skills in line with the increasing role of technology in education.