Assessing the impediments to primary school curriculum implementation in Bukwo district: a case study of Suam sub-county.

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to assess the constraints to the Implementation of the upper primary school curriculum in Bukwo district. The specific objectives of the study were as follows: to establish policy related factors to the Implementation of primary school curriculum in Suam Sub-County, Bukwo District; to examine the socio-economic factors on the Implementation of primary school curriculum in the primary schools, to find out the influence of teachers' participation on curriculum Implementation in primary school and to show stakeholders' views on appropriate ways of implementing the primary school curriculum. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive survey design where both qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used. Simple random sampling was used to select pupils, deputy headteachers and teachers while key informants were purposively selected. A total number of 124 respondents were selected to participate in the study. Research findings revealed that policy related factors affect curriculum Implementation and these include; political instabilities, the policy to implement school curriculum being neglected by the policy makers and government's failure to ensure education fundamental human rights. Research findings indicated that socio-economic factors had enormous effects on school curriculum Implementation and these include; inadequate funds, lack of enough instructional materials, lack of capacity building and mobilization in schools and early marriages. Other findings related to lack of teachers' participation in planning the contents of school curriculum and coordination of activities among different stakeholders who are supposed to promote Implementation of school curriculum. Results show that, Pearson correlation coefficient show that there is strong, positive and significant relationship between socio-economic factors and successful team management and that socio-economic factors predicts 18. 9% of the variance in Implementation of primary school curriculum. For the second hypothesis, the calculated value was rho= 0.86, (p< .05 level of statistically significant point). It was concluded that there is a positive significant relationship between socio-economic factors and Implementation of primary school curriculum". "There is a positive significant relationship between teachers' participation and Implementation of primary school curriculum. The study recommended that politicians and stakeholders need to make decisions on resource allocation and use. Decisions will be required on resource management and the cost-efficiency of their use and this will ensure adequate resource provision for the curriculum Road mapping.