Homeschooling in Uganda gained prominence during the COVID-19 outbreak, following the prolonged closure of various sectors including education. The Government of Uganda endorsed homeschooling as a temporary measure, with support from the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) to ensure continued learning during the lockdown. Homeschooling interventions included home-study learning materials, radio lessons, and other online, recorded, and print teaching and learning resources. One of the effects of homeschooling as an approach to learning after the covid-19 lockdown was the increase in its adoption by a sizable number of parents.
In the spirit of inclusive education, where no child should be left behind, the National Curriculum Development Centre with support from MoES carried out a study on homeschooling to assess the existing practices, evaluate the teaching and learning resources, and identify the challenges in its implementation with the aim of determining if there is a need for a policy to regulate homeschooling as an approach to learning. The study findings indicated personalised learning, self-assessment, and active parental involvement as some of the key attributes of the approach. The study recommended that the government should recognise and regulate homeschooling to ascertain its effectiveness and sustainability.
