Vision Group and Save the Children have renewed a partnership that will enable support for 92 schools in Karamoja and Acholi sub-regions. The support under the Newspapers in Education (NiE) will see the 52 primary schools from Acholi and the 42 from Karamoja supported by way of quality learning materials and have their teachers trained to innovatively use newspapers to deliver the curriculum.

Don Wanyama, the Vision Group chief executive officer, said Save the Children has partnered with the New Vision on NiE project for over 10 years, something he said had enabled the improvement of learning outcomes in the resource-constrained rural schools.

Vision Group editor-in-chief Barbara Kaija, New Vision editor and NIE project team lead John Eremu, the Programme Manager Kenneth Kombe and the communications Manager Derrick Kyatuka attended the function at Vision Group's head office in Kampala.

Besides logistical support under the five-year partnership, Wanyama said Save the Children will provide financial support for teacher training and monitoring and evaluation of the project.

"We are grateful to Save the Children for their continued partnership to enable children in resource-constrained communities to access quality complementary learning materials. We are glad that you have continued in the spirit of supporting education," Wanyama said.

He expressed concern about poor grades, which he said still surface during national exams, noting that it should be dealt with head-on if societies will be transformed for development.

He alluded to the story in yesterday's New Vision in which a study by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) indicated that 73.20/o of last year's Primary Six pupils (now in Primary Seven) from rural schools are not proficient in literacy in English.

"This is a worrying sign, which shows that more needs to be done so as to have a notable impact, especially in rural settings," the Vision Group CEO said.

Wanyama expressed hope in better results, especially with the support from Save the Children, who, he said, had provided Vision Group with support to develop a child protection policy in the last five-year framework. The policy, he said, requires all company staff to be sensitive in the way they work with children and execute their duties, ensuring that no child is harmed.

"As Vision Group, we have a long history of supporting projects that enhance society; key among them is education and climate change mitigation," Wanyama said.

Barbra Kaija, Vision Group's Editor in Chief, called upon Save the Children to continue extending support, noting that there is much still to be done in order to secure children in Uganda.

Miyuki Sato, the Country Director of Save the Children, said that the partnership with Vision Group is key in enabling children's voices to be heard, fostering innovation, and laying the foundation for sustainable results at scale.

"We recognize that we cannot achieve our ambitions for children without our implementing and strategic partners. This renewed partnership will create a platform for amplifying children's choices on policy debate and suggesting options for critical issues affecting them with increased participation of children through the different platforms provided by New Vision," Sato said.

Save the Children with funding from NORAD is implementing a 5-year program 2024-2028 called “Transforming the Future- For and with Children” in the 9 districts in both Acholi and Karamoja regions. The program aims to ensure All children enjoy their rights to survival, protection, development and participation in a safe, inclusive, accountable and resilient environment.

To achieve this goal, Save the Children is working with partners including line ministries, Link Community Development (LCDU), Uganda Debt Network (UDN), Thrive Gulu, (Partnership of Hope Stabilization and Transformation (PHASTA), Straight Talk Foundation and New Vision which will contribute over 45,748 learners and 876 teachers.