Curricula in Africa: The Case of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

Abstract

This is an incisive scientific evaluation o f the existing curricula in journalism and communication training institutions in East Africa. The study pays close attention to most of the crucial elements of a good curricula, including the aim s an d objective s o f the courses, the teaching method s adopted, the assessment methods o f the course s an d the flexibility o f the courses t o accommodate community, national, regional, continental an d international needs. The aims o f the stud y were five-fold : T o provide empirical evidence o n the orientations , objective s an d scope o f the existing curricula in journalism an d communication training in East Africa ; t o suggest various way s o f re-modeling the curricula ; t o access the quality o f training offered t o journalists so a s t o fin d out if they are being adequately funded an d teacher s well remunerate d and ; t o generate fresh data o n journalism an d communication training in the region which ca n b e use d b y policy maker s an d implementers in shaping future training needs . Field survey research design was use d t o collect data from 5 1 various media practitioner s from media organizations, broadcast stations, newspapers, training institution s and governmental l departments. A total o f 19, 21 an d 22 respondent s from Uganda , Tanzania an d Kenya respectively were interviewed . The stud y raises concern over two pertinent issues : the fact that the training institution s have less teaching staff an d that the curricula used are relatively old with the newest having bee n drawn in 1994 . The author suggest s that there ought to b e regular review of the curricula to make the m responsive t o the ever-changing media demands. Three track approaches to the review o f the curricula are recommended. They invite UNESCO an d other stakeholder s t o commission further studies aimed at a comprehensive improvement o f the curricula s o that the beneficiaries may be able to face the various complex communication challenges facing their communities and countries ; the region , continent and the world.