English Under Decent Ration

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ENGLISH FOR ADMINISTRATION UNDER

DECENTRALIZATION AT THE

SUB-COUNTY LEVEL

PETER MUGUME

Tel: 077-2685129

Email: [email protected]

andC.M. SSEBBUNGA

Tel: 256-41-540733

Email: [email protected]

Postal Address: C/o Language Teaching Resource Centre

School of Education

Makerere University

P.O. Box 7062, Kampala

Final Research Report

October 2004
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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National Policy Research (NPR)

Language and Decentralization Policies in Uganda

September 2003 September 2004

Fully Funded by Network of Ugandan Researchers and Research Users

(NURRU)


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I am grateful to the Network of Uganda Researchers and

Research Users (NURRU) for giving us the opportunity to conduct this study,

training us and funding the study. I am also very grateful for the guidance andadvice given by the staff at the NURRU Secretariat and by the fellow researchers

during the national research progress review workshops. In addition to the above

people, I am grateful to Mr. Anthony Okech and Mr. Samuel Ssekiziyivu for the

research consultation, supervision and guidance given.

Secondly, I am also expressing our appreciation for the cooperation and support

given by the chiefs and chairpersons of Busiisi and Kakiri Sub-counties. They

granted us permission to conduct the study in their areas, helped with planning,

sample selection and mobilization of the respondents, and also provided free

venues for the research planning and data collection meetings. My gratitude also

goes to the LC III leaders and staff in the two sub-counties, who were selected as

respondents, for their cooperation throughout the study; as well as the research

assistants, who assisted us during the data collection and analysis process.

Last but not least, I am very grateful to the District Chairpersons and Assistant

Chief Administrative Officers of Hoima and Wakiso Districts for their support and

cooperation as informants during data collection. I am also grateful to the

Community Development Officer and District Inspector of Schools for Wakiso

and Hoima districts respectively, for their contributions as informants during the

study.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Project description page ....... i

Acknowledgements ii

Table of contents. iii

List of tables. v

List of acronyms.. vi

Abstract viii

Chapter One:Introduction. 1

Background.. 1

Problem statement.. 6

Objectives. 6

Research questions 7

Scope of the study. 7

Chapter Two: Review of Related Literature 9

Introduction. 9

Multilingualism and development 9

English as Ugandas official language 10

Communicative competence in English.. 11

Leaders communication needs under decentralization .. 14

Strategies for training adults .. ............... 23

Steps for developing training programmes for adults 27

Conceptual framework 28

Chapter Three: Methodology.. 30

Research design................................................................................. 30

Areas of study and population 30

Sample for the study 30

Research instruments. 31

Data collection procedure 32

Data analysis. 33


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Significance of the study.. 34

Chapter Four:Presentation, interpretation, and discussion of results 35

Introduction....................................................... 35

Sample for the study. 35

Level of functional communicative competence in English of the

sub-county leaders and staff 37

Training needs of the sub-county leaders and staff in the use of

English for administration purposes. 54Ways of training the sub-county leaders and staff in the use of

English for administrating purposes.. 59

English for administration under decentralization: content based

draft curriculum for sub-county leaders and staff.. 64Chapter Five: Discussion, conclusions and recommendations. 71

Introduction.. 71

Conclusions.............................................................................................. 71

Recommendations. 72

Suggestions for further research .. 73

References 75

Appendices 80


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List of Tables

Table 1: Sample for the study 31

Table 2: Respondents knowledge of English skills and structures.. 41

Table 3: Respondents' ability to read and write functional texts:

data from the questionnaire. 46

Table 4: Respondents' ability to read and write selected

functional texts: data from interviews. 47

Table 5: Ability to explain meanings of selected terms using

correct English . 50

Table 6: Summary of the grammar errors made in written work. 51

Table 7: Respondents areas of need for training 54

Table 8: Convenient ways of training raised by the respondents 59


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LIST OF ACRONYMS

AAU : Action Aid Uganda

AIDS/HIV : Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/ Human

Immuno-deficiency Virus

CBLT : Content Based Language Teaching

CONFINTEA V : Fifth International Conference on Adult Education

ESIP : Education Strategic Investment Plan

FAL : Functional Adult Literacy

GoU : Government of Uganda

[email protected] : Innovations at Makerere Committee (Project)

LCIII : Local Council Three (sub-county)

LCs : Local Councils

LCV : Local Council Five (district)

LGA : Local Government Act

MELLT : Makerere English Language in Literature Teaching

Journal

MGLSD : Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development

MISR : Makerere Institute of Social Research

MoES : Ministry of Education and Sports

MoFPED : Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic

Development

NAADS : National Agricultural Advisory Services

NCDC : National Curriculum Development Centre

NGOs : Non-Government Organizations

NGP : National Gender Policy

NHP : National Health Policy

NSGEU : National Strategy for Girls Education In Uganda

NYP : National Youth Policy

PEAP : Poverty Eradication Action Plan

PMA : Plan for Modernization of Agriculture

PRA : Participatory Rural Appraisal
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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RC : Resistance Council

REFLECT : Regenerated Freirian Literacy Through Empowering

Community Techniques.

UACE : Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education

UCE : Uganda Certificate of Education

UMI : Uganda Management Institute

UNESCO : United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organization.


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ABSTRACT

This study was an analytical survey on the competence of local leaders in the

use of English for administration under decentralization at the sub-county level,

the basic level of policy implementation and development planning in Uganda.

Focus was on three objectives. The study was meant to help:

i) Establish the level of communicative competence in English of the

sub-county leaders and staff.

ii) Analyze the training needs of the sub-county leaders and staff in the use

of English for administration purposes.

iii) Establish the convenient and effective ways of training the sub-county

leaders and staff in English for administration.

A detailed draft curriculum based on andragogic and content-based

methodology, and divided into modules focusing on the specific needs of the

respondents was developed for teaching local council leaders English for the

administration.

In terms of methodology, an analytical survey design based on participatory

approaches was used, with quantitative methods playing a supportive role. The

following instruments were used: interview schedules, focus group discussion

guides, questionnaires and a shortlist for analyzing sub county records. A

participatory approach was adopted for planning, sample selection and data

collection purposes, with the stakeholders, who were the LCIII leaders and sub-

county staff playing a central role in the entire process.

The sample included the following:

1. Sub-county leaders; 13 from Busiisi and 16 from Kakiri sub-counties.

2. Sub-county staff; 7 form Busiisi and 14 from Kakiri sub-counties.

3. Informants, 3 from Hoima and 3 from Wakiso Districts.

4. There were also 4 informants included from the two sub-counties.

The data collection procedure was as follows: questionnaires were administered

first, followed by interviews and focus group discussions for the subjects, then


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interviews for the informants and lastly, analysis of sub-county records. Analysis

of data was done concurrently with the data collection process and the

interpretation was done afterwards. The results revealed the following:

1. English being the official language of Uganda has an indispensable role to

play in administration in local governments. This is because of its role as

the official medium of communication in administration work.

2. The ability of the sub-county leaders to use English is rather weak while

that of the staff members is much better. The weak competence of the

LCIII leaders is largely due to little formal education and it makes them

helpless and incapacitated, thus frustrates the goals of decentralization.

3. The leaders and staff at the sub-county level fall in three categories of

need: the very weak primary school leavers, the average and secondary

school leavers; and the reasonably good graduates at degree, diploma

and certificate levels.

4. The training needs of the leaders and staff at the sub-county level vary

depending on their level of education and exposure to English in practical

life situations. These needs range from basic grammar and vocabulary,

use of the four language skills, cross-sectoral administrative register, and

official functional communication skills, both oral and written.

5. The sub-county leaders and staff can best be trained using andragogic,

interactive and participatory methods, suitable for adults, such as in

workshops and seminars. Other media such as the radio programmes ,

booklets for reading on individual basis and FAL should play supportive

roles.

6. A content-based draft curriculum divided into course modules based on

the needs of the sub-county leaders and staff in the use of English for

administration was developed. This needs further refinement.

On the basis of the above findings, conclusions were drawn, recommendations

made and suggestions for further studies put forward.


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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background

English is Ugandas official language, the language of administration and the

leading lingua franca. As such, it is supposed to be used for all government and

other official transactions. This however appears to be largely theoretical

because of the low levels of functional literacy in the country.

Uganda is a poor developing country of 27.4 million people (GOU, 2002), using

over 50 local languages and dialects, most of which are not developed (Mukama,

1986; GoU, 1993). This complicated multilingual situation is accentuated by the

fact that Uganda has no national language and clearly defined language policy

(Ndoleriire, 1996; GoU, 1992; Nsibambi, 1998). The level of functional literacy is

also low (GoU, 1999) and very few people, as a result have a working knowledge

of English, the official language (Mukwaya, 1996). The level of awareness on

various development issues is also low and poverty is a widespread

phenomena, at household, institutional and national levels (GoU, 1999; PEAP,

2001; and Bibagambah, 2001).

Due to the undesirable facts above, the country faces problems arising from the

inability of the majority of the people to use English, the official language for

business transactions. The inability of majority of the population to use English

for functional communication definitely affects the flow of new ideas and

information vital for understanding and implementing government policies, as

well as decision making and supervision of staff by leaders, especially at the sub-

country level, which would help in poverty alleviation efforts. The information

communicated from the central government to the local governments through

English is indispensable for effective planning policy implementation and

supervision purposes, all of which would lead to development (GoU, 1997;

Nsibambi, 1998; and Kiyaga Nsubuga, 2000). Under the decentralized system

of governance, the people are empowered to govern themselves, but without


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competence in English, the official language, they are bound to remain powerless

and inefficient, ignorant of, and thus unable to understand and implement

government policies, plans and programmes vital for poverty alleviation and

development.

Obbo (2004) explains the essence of a policy:

a policy refers to a set of guidelines which determine and

underline the way individuals or groups of people think and

behave in a certain social , cultural , economic and political

environment. It is an agreed position or course of action to be

followed by a government, an organization, or a party of any kind. A

policy is therefore, a practical acknowledgement that the people or

objects for which it is made form a significant proportion of a

national population

Obbo (2004) also explains the nature of a plan:

A plan is a scheme that intends to translate a given policy into

action. A plan therefore, contains several programmes and projects

to be implemented in a given period of time

As far as LCIII leaders are concerned they should be conversant with the PEAP,

which comprises all major government policies, plans and programmes geared

towards development and poverty alleviation. They should also be conversant

with the specific policies such as NHP, NGP, NYP, ESIP, PAM, NSGEU and

NALSIP.

At this juncture, it is important to note that the PEAP is Ugandas approved

national planning framework. It provides the overall goals for government policy

and programmes. The PEAP can only succeed if the government framework of


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security, sound economic and political institutions, good governance and the

delivery of services encourages and empowers stakeholders to take action in

making things better, hence implement it.

The PEAP is aimed at alleviating poverty, which is a reality in Ugandan societies

in both urban and rural areas. According to the abridged PEAP version (2002),

the poor people described poverty as: insecurity, lack of education, poor health,

isolation, powerlessness, toiling with little benefit, and lack of information.

They also described the causes of poverty as lack of asset ownership (land), no

or low education, poor health and large family sizes. Lack of information and little

or no education are the factors, which under score the relevance of English as

the official language in the poverty eradication challenges in Uganda.

The PEAP (2001), through its four pillars of: rapid and sustainable economic

growth and structural transformation, good governance and security, ability of the

poor to raise incomes, and enhanced quality of life for the poor; has come up

with fifteen cross cutting principles for poverty eradication:

i) AIDS care and prevention.

ii) Addressing geographical inequalities.

iii) Addressing income inequality.

iv) Addressing environment issues.

v) Creation of employment.

vi) Ensuring food security and proper nutrition.

vii) Defining roles for government and private sectors.

viii) Paying attention to inter-sectoral changes.

ix) Cost effectiveness in all areas of spending.

x) Awareness of gender issues.

xi) Subsidies and services for the poor.

xii) Empowerment of the people through democracy.

xiii) Promotion of development partnerships.


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xiv) Attention to the needs of disadvantaged groups.

xv) Monitoring poverty trends and sectoral performance.

LCIII leaders are supposed to play a major role in supervising the implementation

of all the above crosscutting principles in their sub-counties. As such they should

be conversant with the use of English in administration work. This will hopefully

enhance good governance, which is defined in PEAP (2001) as the efficient,

effective and accountable exercise of political, administrative and financial

authority. The above facts underscore the need for this study, so as to find out

how affectively the sub-county leaders and staff can use English, their training

needs and the best ways of training them: as well as developing a curriculum for

training the leaders and staff.

It is important to note that the introduction of decentralized administration in

Uganda in 1992 was a result of the institutional crises of the 1970s that resulted

in the near total collapse and failure of the central government to perform its

functions (Lubanga et al, 1996; Nsibambi, 1998; Kiyaga-Nsubuga, 2000; MISR,

2000). As Onyach-Olaa (2004) reports, the decentralization trends started in

1992 with the decentralization pronouncements by President Museveni, followed

by the Local Government (RC) Statute of 1993, the promulgation of the

Constitution of 1995 and was crowned by the enactment of the LGA of 1997.

In the Ugandan context, decentralization embraces the devolution of powers,

roles and functions from the central government level to the local levels of

government (GoU, 1997; MISR, 2000; Nsibambi, 1998; and Kiyaga Nsubuga,

2000; Onyach-Olaa, 2004). The overall aim is to empower the people so that

they can plan, take decisions, generate and control resources, and supervise the

implementation of all programmes and projects in their areas as well.

Onyach-Olaa (2004) lists six objectives of decentralization:

i) Transfer of real power to the people.


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ii) Ensuring all inclusive participation of the people in governance.

iii) Ensuring downward and upward accountability.

iv) Ensuring transparency.

v) Promoting good governance.

vi) Reducing poverty by making investment decisions and resource

allocations responsive to the local needs of the population.

However, the implementation of decentralized governance is facing teething

problems like lack of experienced staff, lack of competent LC leaders, corruption,

low levels of commitment and motivation and inadequate flow of information both

from central to local governments and within the local to the local governments

(Lubanga, et al, 1996; MISR, 2000; and Kiyaga Nsubuga, 2000). This study

focused on flow of information in the context of using English, the official

language. The contention in this study was that unless English is learnt,

mastered and used effectively by the local leaders, their understanding and

implementation of government policies and development programmes including

poverty eradication will be difficult to realize. The local council leaders will

definitely find it difficult to understand and play their roles, use their powers and

fulfill their responsibilities as stated in the Local Government Act (GoU, 1997).

Put otherwise, knowledge of English can help empower the local leaders hence

improve their performance. The concept of empowerment as defined by Kiyaga-

Nsubuga (2004) refers to the process through which the peoples freedom of

choice and action is expanded to enable them have more control over resources

and decisions that affect them.

Statement of the Problem

Uganda is a multi-lingual developing country with widespread poverty, low levels

of functional literacy and without a national language and a clearly defined

language policy. As a result of the above undesirable situation, English, the

official language can be understood and used for functional communication in

administration, policy implementation and supervision only by the few well


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educated people. Yet English, as the official language has a central role to play

in the implementation of decentralization and poverty eradication programmes

both at central and local government levels. The leaders at the sub-county level,

on which this study focused, are expected to draw development plans, engage in

decision making processes, supervise delivery of services by technical staff,

ensure accountability and transparency in the use of funds; all in line with

national policies and strategies. The problem investigated in this study was that

lack of the necessary competence in the use of English among the local council

leaders and staff at the sub-county level was affecting their ability to understand

and play their roles, use their powers and fulfill their responsibilities in line with

the national policies under decentralization.

Research Objectives

This study was meant to achieve three research objectives:

1. To establish the level to functional communicative competence in English

of the sub-county leaders and staff.

2. To assess the training needs of the sub-county leaders and staff in the

use of English for administration purposes.

3. To establish the convenient and effective ways of training the sub-county

leaders and staff in the knowledge and use of English for administration

work.

The findings were used to develop a detailed draft curriculum for training sub-

county leaders and staff in the use of English for administration.

Research Questions

There were three research questions based on the objectives above:

1. What is the level of functional communicative competence in English of the

sub-county leaders and staff?


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2. What are the training needs of the sub-county leaders and staff in English for

administration purposes?

3. How can the sub-county leaders and staff be effectively and conveniently

trained in the knowledge and use of English for administration work?

Scope of the Study

In terms of geographical scope, the study was based at two research sites:

1. Busiisi Sub-county, Hoima District, Western Uganda; 202 kilometers from

Kampala.

2. Kakiri Sub-county, Wakiso District, Central Uganda; 28 kilometers from

Kampala.

These two research sites were selected purposely because of easy accessibility,

and the fact that the researchers understand the native languages of those areas

(Runyoro and Luganda).

Busiisi Sub-county is 61.81 square Kilometers in terms of size and with a

population of 14,059 people and a population density of 227 people per square

kilometer. The major economic activities are subsistence farming and small-

scale trade. The levels of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are high

according to the Sub-county Development Plan, (2003-2006). The sub-county

has only three parishes; Kibingo, Kasingo and Kihukya and twenty three villages

(refer to the map in the appendices).

Kakiri Sub-county is 362 square kilometers in terms of size, six times bigger than

Busiisi, and with a population of 35,143 people and a population density of 97

people per square kilometer. The major economic activities are also subsistence

farming and small-scale trade. The levels of poverty, illiteracy and

unemployment are high according to the Sub-county Development Plan, (2003-

2006). The sub-county has ten parishes; Buwanuka, Kakiri, Kamuli, Kikandwa,


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Lubbe, Luwunga, Magoogo, Nakyerongosa, Nampunge and Sentema; and a

total of fourty five villages (refer to the map in the appendices). Focus in this

study was on the sub-county leaders and staff. Because of a larger population

and area, Kakiri Sub-county has more leaders and staff than Busiisi sub-county,

hence a larger sample in this study.

In terms of content coverage, the focus of the study was on three basic areas:

1. The level of functional communicative competence of the sub-county leaders

and staff in the use of English for administration purposes.

2. The training needs of the local leaders and staff in the use of English for

administration purposes.

3. The convenient and effective ways of training the local council leaders and

staff in the use of English for administration purposes.

It was anticipated that the data generated on the above areas was to be used

(later on), for designing a viable intervention strategy in form of a curriculum, for

improving the knowledge and use of English for administration at the sub-county

levels of administration under decentralization. A detailed draft of this curriculum

has been developed; and is attached to chapter four.


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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

In this chapter, the review of related literature is presented in five sections: multi-

lingualism and development; English as Uganda's official language;

communicative competence in English; leaders communication needs under

decentralized governance; and strategies for training adults.

Multi-lingualism and Development

Uganda is a multi-lingual country with over 50 languages and dialects, almost all

of which are not developed and standardized to convey modern concepts and

ideas effectively (GoU, 1992; GoU, 1993; Mukama, 1986; Ssebbunga, 2001).

This complexity of this multi-lingual situation poses a big challenge not only to

education system but also to the realization of the national development

aspirations like good governance and poverty eradication (GoU, 1992;

Ssebbunga, 2001; Nsibambi, 2000).

Coombs (1985) explains:

Multi-lingaulism is not only an educational problem, it hobbles national

development efforts and inhibits the personal development and mobility of

individuals. Not least of all, it breeds political problems by fostering

misunderstandings and creating among different ethnic groups deep

schisms and conflicts that undermine national cohesiveness and unity

(p.256).

The situation in Uganda is not far from Coombs observation, as reported by GoU

(1992) in the White Paper on Education:


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Government fully agrees that the diversity of local languages in Uganda

makes it difficult to achieve rapid and democratized education, literacy for

all, and intellectualization of the people, as well as the attainment of the

much-needed national unity (p15).

All the above are related to the implementation of decentralization and a

prerequisite for development, both of which are hard to realize without a widely

used and understood official language with high functional utility, for case of

Uganda, English.

Uganda lacks not only a national language, but also a clearly defined language

policy (GoU, 1992; Nsibambi, 2000, Kasozi, 2000; Ssebbunga, 2001; Mukama,

1986; and Ndoleriire, 1996). This situation reflects a big omission in the

development planning process and has resulted in intra-national communication

bottlenecks and challenges in all aspects of national life including administration

and implementation of national policies and programmes. The nation has

continued to rely on English, a legacy of colonialism, as the official language.

Which is only understood by the educated few ( Ndoleriire, 1996).

English as Uganda's Official Language

English is Uganda's official language and also the most widely used language in

the world today (Ndoleriire, 1996; Quirk et al 1985). Ndoleriire (1996), notes that

Uganda is lucky to have inherited English from the colonial rulers, and must

ensure that this language is taught with the seriousness it deserves. It is only

then that Ugandans will be able to communicate among themselves with ease

and with the international community, and implement national policies, plans and

programmes effectively. Compared to other languages, English is a fully

developed language with high functional utility and worldwide usage.

English language has a very high functional utility in Uganda and many parts of

Africa and the world. It serves the following purposes as the official language in


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Uganda and in many other parts of the world as well ( GoU, White Paper, 1992;

Ssebbunga, 2001):

i) it is the official medium of communication;

ii) it is the language of administration;

iii) it is the major medium of instruction at all levels;

iv) it is the language of law and legislation;

v) it is the language of the media/information dissemination;

vi) it is the language of science and technology; and

vii) it is the language for international communication and business

transactions.

Due to the above functions, English should play a central role in all walks of life in

Uganda in ideal circumstances, including administration in local governments,

hence the need for this study.

However, the literature reviewed shows that the state and use of English in

Uganda leaves a lot to be desired (Ssebbunga, 2001; Ndoleriire, 1996; Fisher,

2000; and Mukwaya, 1996). These sources of literature reveal that the standard

of English both in education and national life is not good and that few people

have a working or functional knowledge of the language. This scenario definitely

limits its use as the official language for the country.

Communicative Competence in English

For language users to communicate effectively, they must possess sufficient

mastery of the structures of a language and the skills of using those structures.

They should possess communicative competence, which refers to a persons

internalized grammar of a language. According to Richards et al (1991),

competence means a persons ability to create, use and understand sentences,

including those they have never heard before (p. 68). Performance on the other

hand refers to the actual output or application of the language structures using


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iii) Interactional or using language to get along or share with other people.

iv) Personal or using language to express feelings and emotions.

v) Heuristic or using language to learn and discover new things.

vi) Imaginative or creative use of the language such as in literature.

vii) Representational or use of the language to communicate or share

information with others.

Leaders and staff at the sub-county level are supposed to possess

communicative competence in English language in general, and in English for

administration purposes as well. They should possess knowledge of adequate

vocabulary, both content and functional words, and the ability to use them. They

should also possess knowledge of adequate grammar (phrase, clause and

sentence patterns) and the ability to use them. They should also posses the skills

of using those structures in form of a speaking, reading, writing and listening

(Richards, et al 1991, Crystal 1987, Venkateswaran, 1997).

English for administration purposes falls in the area of English for Specific

Purposes (ESP). According to Hutchson and Waters (1989), English for specific

purposes embraces specialized language use in terms of register and specific

communication contexts. Cunningsworth (1984) observes that ESP relies on:

the use of a functional syllabus, whereby the functions of the

language in that context should be selected and sequenced

according to their relevance to the learners or the extent to which

they meet the learners needs (p.22).

The language needs of local council leaders can best be identified and analyzed

in the context of their roles and responsibilities as stated in the Local

Government Act (1997), MISR (2000) and Nsibambi (1998). These are explicitly

stated:


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1. Decision-making, basing on national policies in all sectors.

2. Planning and drawing development plans for all sectors.

3. Finance resource mobilization, budgeting, accounting and ensuring

accountability and transparency.

4. Monitoring and supervision, which involves overseeing implementation of

various projects, staff performance, accountability and delivery of services.

(MISR, 2000).

Therefore the local leaders should have the knowledge of not only basic

vocabulary and grammar but also subject specific registers cutting across all

sectors in their local governments and functional communication skills as well.

These were the issues investigated in this study.

Leaders Communication Needs Under Decentralization

The world over, decentralization is increasingly becoming one of the key

development strategies in the quest to deliver goods and services efficiently and

effectively to the citizenry (Olum, 2004). As defined by Kiyaga-Nsubuga (2004),

decentralization refers to transfer of powers over decision-making and

implementation to lower administrative levels for the purpose of improving

efficiency and effectiveness. As noted by Onyach-Olaa (2004) access to

information is indispensable for the success of decentralization because it is vital

for ensuring proper planning, supervision, accountability, transparency and good

performance in local governments.

Effective communication is an indispensable prerequisite for the success of all

human activities including administration. Briggs (1990) defines language as

basically a means of communication, and Bowers (1978) defines communication

as the flow of ideas and information in society, upwards, downwards, and

laterally. This flow of ideas is indispensable in decision-making, planning,

supervision, policy implementation and raising people awareness as well, which

are closely related to the roles and responsibilities of the leaders under


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i) Promote a sense of self-reliance, responsibility and ownership vital for

maintenance and sustainability of community development initiatives.

ii) Ensure that the actual needs and priorities of whole communities are

considered since the communities are the ones that identify and

prioritize them.

iii) Enable people to make decisions that concern them and have say in

managing their own development.

iv) Provide for planning and implementation that are easy since each

member understands right from the start what they are doing and why

they are doing it.

v) Make it easy to mobilize community resources such as materials

labour and time.

vi) Create good working relationships between the people and local

governments.

vii) Ensure greater sense of confidence and unity among the citizens.

viii) Promote transparency and accountability over resources and services.

ix) Ensure that the community becomes more conscious of their rights

and duties.

Therefore, decentralization has much to offer to the people in terms of

empowerment and development. According to the LGA, (1997), the functions of

the Local Council III governments, which determine and underlie their

communication needs include the following:

i) Policy formulation at local levels in line with the needs of the people and

national policies.

ii) Policy implementation in the context of the needs of the people.

iii) Ensuring law, order and security.

iv) Implementation of government programmes.

v) Receiving and solving problems from lower local councils.


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vi) Evaluation of performance at the end of each financial year basing on set

work plans.

vii) Initiating and participating in self-help projects and mobilizing people for

development.

viii) Serving as a communication channel between the government, district

council and people of the area.

ix) Generally monitoring and supervising projects and other activities

undertaken by the central and local government and NGOs.

Since its introduction in the 1990s, decentralization has achieved many benefits.

According to Olum (2004), the values or benefits associated with decentralized

administration since its introduction are as follows:

i) Greater political legitimacy for the LCIII and LCV leaders.

ii) Improved efficiency in planning and management of resources.

iii) Increased flow of political information and education of the population

on matters of good governance.

iv) Training of nationals in political, social and economic skills essential for

good leadership.

v) Political equality, unity and stability leading to a sense of togetherness.

vi) Responsive governance that listens to the demands of needs of its

citizens.

vii) Greater transparency and accountability hence partly addressing the

problems of corruption.

viii) Improving efficiency in the provision of services and public goods.

ix) Getting rid of central government responsibilities for local government

problems, hence enabling the central governance to concentrate on

policy levels of major national significance.

In light of the above, it should be noted that the communication needs of the LCIII

leaders and staff cut across many areas of specialization and disciplines


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reflected in the above roles. What they need is English for Specific Purposes

(ESP), in this case English for administration, which Richards et al (1991) define

as one in which the content and aims are fixed by the specific needs of he

learners/users" (p125).

The leaders should be competent in English in the following areas:

i) The grammar of the language.

ii) Vocabulary and administrative register.

iii) Functional communication skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening in

an administrative context).

Research reports on studies conducted in Uganda show that there are many

factors affecting the successful implementation of decentralization in Uganda.

Olum (2004), Kiyaga-Nsubuga (2004), and Onyach-Olaa (2004) note the

following:

i) Weak competence or capacity among local leaders and staff in the

functions of planning, budgeting, supervision, monitoring, evaluation,

decision-making and management.

ii) Poor coordination and communication between the national and local

government levels and within the local governments as well (partly due

to English factor).

iii) Limited resources for implementing government policies, plans and

programmes

iv) Policy design problems, especially the difficulty of matching ideal plans

and the practical realities on the ground.

v) Environmental factors such as constraints including political structures

and styles, patron/client relationships, socio-cultural conditions, etc

vi) Inability of the local governments to raise resources and fund their own

operations.


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vii) Limited access to information on ideas and events of significance from

else where in the world (partly due to the English language factor).

viii) Low levels of citizens involvement in decision-making implementation,

monitoring, evaluation and accounting.

From the above problems it is clear that the English and education factors

contribute much to the success or problems of local governments in terms of

policy implementation under decentralization.

Reports in The New Vision generally show that many local council leaders both

at the district and sub-county levels do not have a working knowledge of English

and that this affects their performance. Musoke (26/7/2003) in his article" MPs

want literate LCs; illiterate councilors a nuisance"reveals that in Mukono District,

at LCV and LCIII levels councilors use Luganda in meetings because:

"Uneducated ones can not follow in English. Some councilors who head

committees were unable to present reports and hired other people to read

them they can not contribute, all they do is to agree".

The failure or inability to use English renders the LC leaders powerless thus

affects the realization of the goals of decentralization.

Nzinjah (4/2/2003) in his article "Kasese LCs fail to use 4 billion shillings"reports

that the money meant for village projects was lying idle because the LCs could

not compile and present viable development plans, yet the people were dying of

poverty. They lacked functional and creative communication skills.

Mambule (30/9/2003) in an article: "Masaka LCs ignorant of Constitution"reports

that the LCV Chairperson asked government to give LCs copies of the

Constitution (1995) and the LG A, (1997) because they are ignorant of the laws


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and do not know their duties. This shows that leaders do not really know what to

do in their respective offices, partly due to their inability to use English.

Mugenyi (27/9/2003) reports a similar situation in his article "Leaders lack the

tools of power" that most LCs in Western Uganda do not know the LGA, (1997)

the Leadership Code and the Constitution that; "none of the 250 leaders at a

meeting could explain decentralization". Again this reflects the lack of awareness,

information and real power among local leaders, emerging from little education

and inability to use English for administration.

The former deputy Prime Minister, Kategaya (2/10/2002) in an interview in The

New Vision attributes this pathetic situation to illiteracy and argues that local

leaders cannot defend their rights when they are not aware of them; that the

most government policy documents are in English, a language understood and

used by a few people. This argument under scores the centrality of the English

factor in the successful implementation of decentralized programmes.

In another article in The New Vision, 18/10/2004 by Abraham Ahabwe, Local

councilors incompetent, say district leaders, the district leaders from western

Uganda meeting at Mbarara agreed that:

most Councilors were semi literate and yet supposed to supervise the

degree holders some councilors even have difficult in interpreting

government documents and dont not even understand their contract

terms.

The situation in the above articles underscores the need for this study so as to

establish the communication needs of the LCs and staff at the sub-county level

and the best ways of training them in the use of English for administration.

Otherwise the implementation of government policies under decentralization may

not be easily realized.


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Research reports also reveal a situation similar to that in the newspaper reports.

In Vision 2025 (GoU, 1999), it is reported that Uganda lacks not only a national

language and language policy, but also a policy framework for information

systems and services that could be a contributing factor to streamlining decision

making, problem solving, planning and management (p16). Inability to access

information, through English language therefore affects the performance of local

governments, hence the need to find out how well LCs and staff at the sub-

county can use it.

The local governments under decentralization in Uganda face many

communication and English language related challenges, which affect their

performance. Makara (1998) reports that at the LCV level, in making district

budgets, the councilors lack consensus on priorities because they are

handicapped by inadequate information (p.60), due to their inability to understand

and use English well. They also find it hard to monitor and supervise the civil

servants who are much better educated people. So the excellent opportunity

provided by decentralization to deal with poverty alleviation hence promote

development through people-centered participatory governance, reported by

Bibagambah (2001) may not be fully utilized if leaders lack competence in using

the official language (English).

It should be noted that as reported by the Makerere Institute of Social Research

MISR (2000), the human resource requirements are inadequate at the local

government levels in Uganda. Most local leaders are not well educated and even

the graduate civil servants lack practical skills, motivation, dedication to duty,

ability to solve problems and cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary and integrated

knowledge. That the university curricula used to train them is too far or detached

from addressing the needs of the society (p iv). The MISR (2000) report also

reveals that national policies such as modernization of agriculture, universal

education, poverty eradication and institutionalization of capital development

funds at the sub-county require well educated, committed and informed staff and


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leaders (p.15), who by implication should be competent in English. As such,

English becomes an indispensable tool in effective administration at all local

government levels under decentralization, including the sub-counties.

Research studies conducted in Uganda at the district levels on the

implementation of decentralization show that there is still much to be done.

Katarijja (1996) in a study conducted in Mukono District reports that the financial

and personnel capacity is too limited, especially at the sub-county levels. He

recommends the following:

Training leaders in practical management skills.

Training all stakeholders on policy issues.

Supervision of all tasks and programmes by the center (district).

Minimum qualifications are set for the LC leaders.

This study did not mention the language /communication factor, but implied it

indirectly hence the need to fill this gap in research knowledge.

Karwani (2000) conducted a similar study in Kabarole District, and noted manychallenges to decentralization, including role conflicts, problems of accountability

and the human resource capacity gaps partly arising from limited access to

information. Again this study did not focus specifically on the language factor

though it was indirectly hinted upon, hence the need for this research to fill the

gap.

Anok (2000), in yet another related study conducted in Lira District reports

problems of inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation, and that the success of

the sub-county local governments depends on the vision, willingness and

capacity of the local leaders to fulfill their roles, use their powers and fulfill their

responsibilities. He further reveals that communication laterally and horizontally

should play a central role in administration. He stresses the need for the


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leadership of local governments to build their capacity in the areas of planning,

budgeting, results oriented management and flow of information hence effective

coordination and cooperation. This is where the English /official language factor

comes in.

Magezi (2001) in yet another study conducted in Kibaale District notes that much

as decentralization has achieved much success, there are still many challenges.

These include lack of enough resources, poor accountability and lack of

transparency, and that local leaders lack the capacity to fulfill their

responsibilities, play their roles and use their powers due to little education and

access to information, hence understanding of government policies and

programmes. He reports that the leaders lack skills in making development

plans, mobilizing and using resources and accounting procedures. He

underscores the need to train them in all the above areas, and again here the

English language factor though not directly stated comes in, hence the need for

this study.

Tweyanze (1997) in yet another study conducted in Ntungamo District condemns

the illiteracy of the LC leaders who do not understand issues and polices hence

fail to perform. He reports that the powers devolved under decentralization are

abused and that there is rampant corruption and inefficiency. He reveals that

there are poor quality leaders and weak staff and calls for the need for capacity

building training and sensitization to improve the situation. Otherwise

decentralization would spearhead development through popular participation,

planning, decision-making and accountability. The English language and

communication factors were not considered through implied indirectly hence the

need to fully address them in this study.

Strategies for Training Adults

Strategies or methods for teaching adults, referred to as andragogy

(Knowles,1986, Hope and Timmes, 1999; Prossier,1967; Kabuga, 2004) differ


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from those for teaching young people, referred to as pedagogy. This applies to all

subjects including English language education. Knowles (1980) describes adults

as, "people who are mature and perform social roles typically assigned by

culture to adults"(p.24). The training of LC leaders and staff in the realm of use of

the English for administration will fall in this area of adult education.

As Atim and Ngaka (2004) state, citing UNESCO (1976) and CONFINTEA V

1997) state:

Adult education denotes the entire body of organized education

processes, whatever their content, level and method, whether

formal or otherwise, whether they prolong or replace the initial

schools, colleges and universities as well as apprenticeship, where

by persons regarded as adults by the societies to which they

belong, develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge, improve their

technical or professional qualifications, all to turn them in a new

direction and bring about improved changes in their attitudes or

behavior in the two fold perspective of full personal development

and participation in balanced and independent social economic

and cultural development.

It should be noted that adult education is non-formal in nature in that it is:

"organized systematic educational activity carried out outside the

framework of the formal system so as to provide selected or specialized

types of learning to particular sub-groups of the population"

(Coombs,1985).


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According to ISIS (1991): non-formal education:

"arises out of the need to compensate for the inability or failure of the

formal education system to reach the majority of the people, especially

adults" (p.179).

This is the situation of the potential beneficiaries in this research study because

many of them left school prematurely due to the pyramidal structure of the

system that makes many people dropout, more especially during the primary and

secondary cycle of education.

Uganda has got a functional adult literacy programme whose objectives Oketch

(2004) summarizes as follows:

i) To encourage the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes in

reading, writing and numeracy based on the needs and problems of

the learners and their community.

ii) To create awareness among the learners concerning the causes and

possible solutions to their problems.

iii) To enable learners actively participate in their personal development

and that of their community and improve their quality of life.

iv) To provide integrated, functional non-formal basic education to

learners through a problem solving approach.

v) To promote the appreciation and enjoyment of the benefits and

opportunities acquired through the mastery of the skills of reading,

writing and numeracy.

Oketch (2004) also reveals that the FAL programme in Uganda covers a number

of other programmes in addition to reading, writing and numeracy. These include

health, income generation, marketing and trade, agriculture, gender, culture, civic

consciousness, environment education and cooperative education. It should be


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noted that some of these at the very areas where local leaders and staff at the

sub-county are supposed to participate in planning and supervise the

implementation of their decisions by the delegated staff members. Therefore all

these ideas and areas need be considered in training for LCIII leaders in using

English for administration.

The training for LCIII leaders and staff, should be unique and based on

andragogic methodology which is suitable for adults in contrast to pedagogic

methodology which is good for young people. Knowles (1986) describes

experience as the best resource of the highest value in adult education and as

the adult learners' text book (p.29). He states four foundations of modern adult

learning theory as presented below. Adults are motivated to learn as they

experience the specific needs and interests that the learning will satisfy.

1. Adults orientation to learning is life-centered, with focus on practical and

real life situations, not subjects.

2. Experience is the richest source for adult learning. Thus the core

methodology in handling adults should be analysis of experience.

3. Adults have a strong desire to be self-directing; therefore they should be

engaged in a process of mutual inquiry, not outer directed process.

4. Individual differences between people increase with age so adult education

should consider differences in style, time, and pace of learning.

In Uganda, Action aid Uganda has developed the REFLECT training techniques

which have worked very well with adults as reported by Openjuru (2004). This is

an approach for teaching literacy which aims at involving and empowering

communities by helping them acquire both literacy and analytical skills which

they can use to analyze their local environment and seek solutions to their day to

day problems. The LCIII leaders need such an approach for their training in the

use of English for administration work.


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As far as the approaches to language teaching are concerned, the most

appropriate for teaching LCIII leaders English appears to be content-based

language teaching (CBLT). This approach enhances language and concept

development, as well as promoting positive attitudes towards learning not only

the language but the subject matter as well (Ssebbunga 2000). The proposal for

the content based curriculum is grounded in the widely accepted claim that a

second language is most effectively learned if it is used as a medium to teach

and discuss content of interest and relevance to the learners. By definition CBLT

refers to the integration of subject matter with language teaching aims. In precise

term the concept refers to the concurrent study of language and subject matter

courses where by the form and sequence of the intended language items for

teaching and learning are controlled and directed by the content based materials.

Put otherwise, CBLT means that the language curriculum is directly centred on

the academic needs and interest of the learners.

In addition to the above, Eldson (1975) suggests the following process in

developing programmes for teaching adults in various fields.

Steps for Developing Programmes for Teaching Adults

Problem identification Needs identification

Objectives identified

Selection of the content

Planning of content

Selection of methods

Development of materials

Execution

Assessment

Follow up and support

Evaluation-objectives

-criteria

-indicators


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As the diagram above shows, teaching adults should be a systematically planned

and cyclical process that takes time to implement and needs constant review.

This process for developing a fully fledged course for English for administration

should go through the above stages and should be very well planned considering

all issues raised above as well.

Conceptual Framework

A B C D

As shown in the diagram above, the present development status quo in Uganda

leaves a lot to be desired. Poverty is widespread, governance is weak, the level

of awareness on development issues is low and the people suffer from

powerlessness (A). As a result, government has put in place policy strategic

interventions to create a conducive environment for better governance, poverty

eradication, raising people's awareness and empowering them. This is through

the constitution, democratization, and decentralized governance, the LGA, and

PEAP (B).

All those strategies are developed and presented using English, the official

language in Uganda. Therefore, English becomes a key factor in the

development process because it is the medium of communication hence vital

The currentStatus quoPoverty, weak

governance,

powerlessness,

low awareness

levels.

National policy

strategic

interventionsConstitutionalism

democratization,

LGA, PEAP, etcAll these are

presented using

English, the

official language.

The English

/official language

factorFlow of

information: vitalfor development.

Leaders' ability to

understand and

implement

government

policies usingEnglish, the

official lan ua e.

Performance oflocal

governmentsEconomic, social,

and political

empowerment andawareness. Poverty

eradication and

v


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for effective flow of information in administration. Therefore, all leaders should

be able use English so as to understand and implement government policies

effectively (C). The ability of the leaders to understand and implement

government policies (presented in English) can ultimately lead to better

performance: economic, social and political empowerment and awareness, which

can eventually lead to poverty eradication and ultimately, the much desired

development.


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CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The study was an analytical survey based on participatory approaches, with

quantitative methods playing a supplementary role. The participatory aspect

involved the use of interviews, focus group discussions, analysis of records and

the involvement of the subjects and stakeholders in decision-making in the

context of planning together, and their role in generating the data needed. The

quantitative aspect involved the use of questionnaires to get general data from

the LCIII leaders and staff members. This design was adopted for two reasons;

because of the sociological nature of the study; and because of the need for

triangulation of data collection methods, so as to come up with detailed and

reliable findings.

Study Areas and Population

There were two areas or sites in which this study was based: Busiisi Sub-

county, Hoima District and Kakiri Sub-county, Wakiso District. Both are located

in areas where most of the people are peasant farmers. Busiisi, which covers

61.81 square kilometers, is much smaller than Kakiri Sub-county, which covers

362 square kilometers. Busiisi has a population of 14,059 people compared to

Kakiri with 35,143 people. However, the population density for Busiisi Sub-county

is higher (227 people per sq.km) than that of Kakiri Sub-county (97 people per

sq.km). Busiisi has a smaller local government than Kakiri because of the smaller

geographical size and fewer administration divisions or parishes. Whereas

Kakiri Sub-county has ten parishes, Busiisi Sub-county has only three of them.

Sample of the Study

The sample for the study included all the leaders and staff at the two

Sub-county and some parish chiefs. Informants included district leaders, staff

and opinion leaders. This sample was arrived at during the research-planning


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meetings held in September 2003 with the stakeholders in both sub-counties.

The details are presented below:

Table 1: Sample for the Study (n=56)

Number of subjects selected Total

Category of sample Busiisi s/c Kakiri s/c Hoima D Wakiso D.

Sub-county leaders 13 16 - - 29

Sub-county staff 7 14 - - 21

Informants - - 3 3 6

Total 20 30 3 3 56

Among the sub-county leaders were 24 (48%) councilors, 2 (4%) chairpersons,

1(2%) vice chairperson, 2 (4%) chairpersons Parish Development Committees

(PDCs); making a total of 29 (58%) of the sample. The sub-county staff

members included, 2 (4%) administrative officers (chiefs), 2 (4%) health

assistants, 2 (4%) Community Development Officers (CDOs), 2 (4%) agricultural

officers, 1 (2%) entomologist, 1(2%)Officer in Charge (OC) local administration

police and 5 (10%) support staff, making a total of 21 (42%).

Research Instruments

Four research instruments were used in this study: A questionnaire for the

subjects, an interview schedule for the subjects, an interview schedule for the

informants and a shortlist for analyzing sub-county records. These were

developed by the researchers and pilot tested at Wakiso Sub-county with a

similar sample and then refined.

The questionnaire comprised both open and close-ended items. The interview

schedule was semi- structured in nature, to allow for flexibility during data

collection. The short list for analyzing sub-county records comprised a list of

areas of interest to the researchers as far as the use of English for administration

is concerned (refer to the appendices for details on these instruments). These


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four instruments were used with the goal of collecting comprehensive data and

for data triangulation purposes.

Data Collection Procedure

A participatory procedure was followed throughout the data collection process;

with the stakeholders playing organizational, sample selection, mobilization and

data generation roles. Details are presented below:

1. Field survey and gaining entry into the areas of study was done first, so as to

get familiar with the target population and the setting in the areas of study.

2. Research planning meetings with the chiefs, chairpersons and other selected

leaders in the areas of study. These stakeholders were briefed on the study,

and they set the dates and time for the meetings, selected the venues and

suggested the samples for the first phase of data collection.

3. Data collection; phase 1: the subjects were briefed on the study (open

discussion), and helped to fill in a detailed questionnaire. The questionnaire

helped both in eliciting their responses on various issues and revealing both

their level of language competence level and problems (written language).

4. Research planning meeting with the chiefs and chairpersons of the sub-

counties for the second phase of data collection (interviews, focus group

discussions and analysis of sub-county records). The stakeholders were

briefed on the second phase; they set the dates and venues, selected the

samples and later on carried out the mobilization of the respondents.

5. Collection of data from the informants at the district levels: These were

identified by the sub-county leaders, appointments were made with them and

they were interviewed on individual basis in their offices. Follow up was made

using telephones.

6. Analysis of sub-county records: these were reviewed and discussed with the

chiefs and cashiers, who write them in most cases (the LCs rarely write in

English).


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7. Data analysis and literature review were done concurrently, with reference to

the data collected and the patterns emerging during its analysis. Both

qualitative and quantitative methods were used during the data analysis

process as will be explained later.

The communities in the areas of study were very cooperative and contributed to

the study in the following ways:

1. They offered and organized free halls for the planning and data collection

meetings at Busiisi and Kakiri Sub-counties, and for the pilot-testing

meeting at Wakiso Sub-county.

2. Identification and selection of the participants was done by the local

council leaders in the planning meetings.

3. Mobilization of the selected subjects at Wakiso (pilot testing), Kakiri and

Busiisi was done by the chiefs and local council III chairpersons. This

would have been difficult without their involvement.

4. The participants were also very cooperative and gave the researchers all

the information asked for.

5. It should be noted that it is the selected participants and leaders who set

the dates and programmes for the research meetings at their convenience

with the guidance of the researchers. For instance, the meeting

programmes started at 10.00am because most of the participants had to

work in their gardens first (we held the planning meetings and collected

data mostly during the planting and weeding seasons). The chairpersons

L.C. III, chiefs and their secretaries and office attendants were also very

cooperative throughout the course of the work done so far.

Data Analysis

The data collected using interviews and focus group discussions was of a

qualitative or categorical nature hence verbal and detailed. It was summarized

right after collection, when the context of interaction was still fresh in the minds of


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the researchers. The data was summarized basing on the objectives of the study

and the categories and patterns that emerged were refined to get the findings.

Where necessary, these were converted into percentages. The data from the

open-ended questions in the questionnaires was analyzed in a similar way. Data

from the close-ended items in the questionnaire was tallied, summed up and

converted into percentages. Data from analysis of records was of qualitative

nature and was also summarized, refined and presented. Data from interviews

for the subjects and informants was also of qualitative nature, so it was also

summarized, refined and where necessary converted into percentages. Some of

the data was presented in tables for clarity, summary and cross-comparison

purposes.

Significance of the Study

It was anticipated that the study would show the categories of beneficiaries below

the centrality of the English language factor in eradication of poverty,

strengthening governance, empowering the people, raising levels of awareness,

and hence hopefully promoting development in the long run.

1. Administrators at the Ministry of Local Government.

2. Leaders and staff at the district level.

3. Projects and Non-Government Organizations working with rural communities.

4. Development planners and policy makers at national level.

5. Community development workers at the district and sub-county levels.

6. Researchers and teachers of English language.

7. Researchers and teachers of management and administration.

At the end of it all, a draft curriculum for the use of English for administration in

local governments was developed. If refined further, it would hopefully help

empower the above potential beneficiaries with the necessary knowledge and

skills to do their work effectively, hence contribute to poverty eradication and

development.


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CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

Introduction

In this chapter, the findings from this study are presented, interpreted and

discussed in three thematic sections based on the three objectives used. The

data from the various instruments used is presented, interpreted and discussed

concurrently.

Sample for the Study

The sample used included fifty (50) respondents from Busiisi and Kakiri

sub-counties and six (6) informants from Hoima and Wakiso District

headquarters, where the two sub-counties above are located. The same

respondents in the two sub-counties who filled in the questionnaires also gave

information in the interviews and focus group discussions.

The characteristics of the respondents were as follows:

In terms of gender, 21 (42%) were females, while 29 (58%) were males. The

local council governments in both sub-counties are dominated by males, possibly

because of the patriarchal nature of the communities, that is why more males

were sampled.

In terms of the age of the respondents, 12 (24%) were youths of 21-30 years, 10

(20%) were mature people of 31-40 years, 12 (24%) were mature people of 41-

50 years, and 15 (30%) were old people of 51 years and above. Two of the

respondents did not state their age. Here the sample was well balanced, with

people of all ages well represented.

In terms of working experience, many of the respondents 21 (42%), were

relatively new in the fields of local governance and politics, having served for only

1- 5 years. A few, 11 (22%) had served for 6-10 years, which is reasonable time,


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while the remaining 16 (32%) had served for over 11 years, thus had enough

experience. The remaining 2 (4%) did not state their experience.

In terms of the levels of education of the respondents, 8 (16%) were primary

school leavers, 9 (18%) secondary school leavers, 19 (38%) were certificate

holders, 9 (18%) were diploma holders and 5 (10%) graduates. The responses

here showed that 36% of the leaders left school before or after completing either

primary or secondary education, while the rest (64%) completed at certificate,

diploma and degree levels. Therefore many of the leaders have reasonable

education to enable them fulfill their roles and responsibilities well, and learn

English for administration easily in case the chance arises.

A total sample of 27 respondents form Busiisi and Kakiri Sub-counties out of the

50 respondents above were interviewed; 11 (41%) were female and 16 (59%)

were males. 14 (52%) were elected LC leaders; 9(33%) were sub-county staff

members; and 4 (15%) were opinion leaders. This sample was selected during

planning meetings held with the LCIII chairpersons and the sub-county chiefs of

both areas of study. The LC leaders included chairpersons (2) a vice chairperson

(1), a speaker (1) and councilors (10). Interviews and focus group discussions

generated similar responses so the data from these sources was combined.

The educational background of the respondents interviewed varied out of a total

of 27 people, 6 (22%) primary school leavers; 12 (44%) secondary school

leavers; and 9 (33.3%) graduates at degree, diploma and certificate levels. The

interviews were conducted on individual -researcher interaction basis and in a

relaxed atmosphere, using English.


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In addition to the above respondents, a total of 6 informants working as leaders

and staff at the district level were interviewed. These included the following:

1. Chairperson LCV, Hoima District (Grade III Teacher).

2. Chairperson LCV, Wakiso District (Graduate Engineer).

3. Inspector of Schools, Hoima District (Graduate Teacher, now on Masters).

4. Assistant CAO, Wakiso District (Graduate, with a Postgraduate Diploma).

5. Assistant CAO, Hoima District (Graduate, with a Postgraduate Diploma).

6. Community Development Officer, Waksio District (Graduate)

The Level of Functional Communicative Competence in English of the

Sub-County Leaders and Staff

The data on this objective was collected using questionnaires, interviews, focus

group discussions and analysis of the records at the sub-county headquarters.

Majority of the respondents agreed that they rarely use English while conducting

official business at their sub-counties. In the questionnaire, 43 out of the 50

respondents (86%) agreed that they mainly use the local Luganda and Runyoro

languages in Kakiri and Busiisi Sub-counties respectively. It is the remaining 7

respondents (14%) who are non-native Luganda and Runyoro speaking civil

servants who use mainly English.

Here the multilingual factor in Uganda, noted by Mukama (1986) and GoU (1993)

comes in, and underscores the value of English as the official language and

language of wider communication.

From the interviews and focus group discussions for the respondents, all the 27

respondents from the two sub-counties also agreed that they mostly use their

local vernacular languages in all official transactions, that is Luganda for Kakiri

and Runyoro for Busiisi Sub-counties.


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One respondent answered thus:

We use our own language, Luganda and it serves us very well.

There is no reason why we should complicate matters by bringing

in English which some of us may not be capable of using well.

(LCIII leader, Kakiri)

Another respondent answered thus:

I dont see why we should use English while doing our work here

at a local level. It is only in circumstances where we cannot avoid it,

such as when discussing technical issues that we use English,

even then few terms that cannot be expressed locally using

Runyoro

(LCIII Leader, Busiisi).

And one of the sub-county chiefs commented:

it is true that we mostly use vernacular while transacting official

business orally, such as in seminars, debates and meetings

when it comes to writing, however, it is only English that we use.

(Sub-county chief)

One of the less educated councilors observed:

| dont know much English actually many of us do not know much , so

when other people use difficult English words , we cannot follow. We just

have to agree.(Councilor)

The ideas from the interviews with informants at the district level also showed

that local languages are widely used in official interaction not only at the sub-

county local government level, but also at the district levels. One informant

attributed this to the culture of informality that pervades our office culture. That

is why oral interaction is conducted in local languages while all written work is in


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English. Another informant noted that many of the elected leaders cannot follow if

English is used, so the only viable option is to use vernacular: The local

languages dominate oral interaction, while English is used for all written

tasks/communication. The informants also noted that many development ideas

and concepts are difficult to express using vernaculars, thus when English is

used (at a technical level) many of the local council leaders lose out and just

agree.

The facts on the ground as reported in The New Vision by Ahabwe, A. in the

article Local councilors incompetent, say district leaders (18/10/04); Musoke, in

MPs want literate LCs : illiterate councilors a nuisance (26/7/2003); and

Mambule, in Masaka LCs ignorant of Constitution (30/9/2003). Therefore, the

English factor contributes much not only to the LCs understanding of leadership

and development related issues, but also to their ability to communicate hence

fulfill their roles and responsibilities.

Otherwise, as one ACAO noted:

What do you expect in a situation where the people you are working with

are semi literate? There is no way we can use English as the official

language at local government levels when the people dont know it.

(ACAO)

As far as analysis of records is concerned, there was not much data generated

using this research instrument due to the fact that the elected leaders transact

most (if not all) of their business orally. It is mainly the chiefs (administrative

officers) and their accountants and secretaries who write. These are trained and

experienced graduates and all their functional communication texts are well

written. The records reviewed included the following:

1. Minutes for meetings.

2. Official letters (to their districts, the projects and subordinates).


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3. Budgets (for different activities and functions).

4. Projects proposals.

5. Reports about different activities.

6. Speeches (for various occasions).

7. Account records (with the cashiers who are technocrats).

8. Radio announcements (for different activities).

9. Sub-county development plans (with district planners).

10. Programmes (for occasions and workshops/seminars).

All these records are well written following standard conventions and using

appropriate register. The chiefs also help the chairpersons while writing their

documents. This applies to both sub-counties. The more technical texts like

project proposals and development plans are written with the assistance of the

distinct planners office, as one respondent noted:

We usually leave the technical issues to the technical civil servants here

and at the district to handle. We are simple people, politicians who cannot

do things like planning (Councilor).

The above statement highlights not only the inability of the local leaders to fulfill

some of their roles, but also their pathetic sense of helplessness in the face of

technical responsibilities and their attendant challenges of using English for

effective functional communication. Such a scenario sets a fertile ground for the

rampant problems of corruption and abuse of office so common in local

governments as noted by Mugenyi(2003), Olum(2004) Kiyaga-Nsubuga(2004),.

and Onyach-Olaa (2004). According to these authors, LCIII leaders lack the

capacity to perform their roles and fulfill their responsibilities, ability to coordinate

the various activities their responsibilities entail and limited understanding of

policy issues due to little education and access to information among other

challenges.


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In a state of desperation, one leader during the interviews explained thus:

It is not our fault that we missed out on education why cant you let us

do what we can with the little knowledge we have? Even if we are not well

educated, we should be left to enjoy our right to participate in leadership

(LCIII leader).

The problem with the above view is that local leaders should not just sit and

lament but rather should devise ways of improving their knowledge and capacity

to use English, hence improve on the quality of their leadership.

The respondents rated their competence in the context of their knowledge of

English structures and skills as presented in table 2 below:

Table 2: Respondents Knowledge of English Skills and Structures

(n=50)

Questionnaire items Responses given

Yes No Not sure

1. I can use English well in meetings. 26 (52%) 16 (32%) 8 (16%)

2. I can use English well in official work. 29 (58%) 6 (12%) 15 (30%)3. I can read materials written in English. 40 (80%) 3 (6%) 7 (14%)

4. I can write materials using English. 34 (68%) 3 (6%) 13(26%)

5. I can listen to facts and ideas in English. 34 (68%) 4(8%) 12(24%)

6. I can speak English well while at work. 32 (64%) 8 (16%) 10 (20%)

7. I know enough English to use at work. 19 (38%) 1 (2%) 30 (60%)

8. I know enough English words. 27 (54%) 5 (10%) 18(36%)

9. I can speak good English sentences. 29 (58%) 5(10%) 18(36%)

10. I can write good English sentences. 26 (52%) 7 (14%) 17 (34%)

11. I have no problems with tenses. 26 (52%) 10 (20%) 14 (28%)

Average competence 29.26

(58.5%)

6.18

(12.36%)

14.56

(29.12%)


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The responses from the items in the table above generally showed many

of the local council leaders have problems with use of the language

structures and skills. Only 52% of the respondents do not many have

problems when English is used in meetings while 48% cannot follow. Only

58% of the LC leaders and staff can use English well while the remaining

42% cannot do so while doing official work. It is only with reading where

the majority (80%) can understand the texts, and only 20% cannot. With

writing and listening, again many of the respondents, 68%, rated their

ability as good while 32% did not do so. The percentage for speaking was

also not so bad with 64% rating it as good and 36% as weak. In other

areas the respondents who rated their abilities as good were as follows,

vocabulary 54%, speaking good sentences 58%, writing good sentences

and tenses at 52%. On average, for all the areas above, 58.52% rated

their competence as good, 12.36% as weak and 29.12% were not sure of

their competence. The responses here showed that almost half of the

respondents, 41.48% have weak competence in English. Only 58.52% are

confident of themselves.

Thus generally, the ability of the LCIII leaders and staff (to a lesser extent) to use

English leaves much to be desired, and this is a reflection of the generally low

standard of English in the country as noted by Ssebbunga, (2001);

Ndoleriire,(1996); and Mukwaya, (1996).

In the interviews and focus group discussions, when asked about their general

ability to use English in administration, all the 27 respondents (100%) agreed that

they have limitations. Three categories of need emerged here:

1. The certificate, advanced level, diploma and degree holders who know

enough grammar and vocabulary (structures) but need to learn more

about various functional communication skills.


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2. The secondary school leavers who know some grammar and vocabulary

but need to learn more of these, and to learn the functional communication

skills as well.

3. The primary school leavers who know very little grammar and vocabulary

and also lack the functional communication skills.

Again here it should be noted that the Ugandan education system like those of

most developing countries is pyramidal in nature, with a high wastage level

across the primary and secondary levels (GoU, 2000) at which most students

drop out. These drop outs usually end up as prominent people in politics,

business and other areas of life.

One of the respondents also noted that due to their mixed ability in terms

knowledge and skills of using English, they rarely use the language in official

business and this further undermines their chances of learning it, and that there

is a strong social stigma associated with English more especially among the less

educated people.

One respondent noted that:

it is difficult to start using English for two reasons:

In the first case, we, the leaders differ in levels of education. Some people

left school at primary level while others completed university. Secondary,

in Uganda, people who are not well educated will think that you are posing

and despising hem if you start using English all the time. They fear

speaking and making mistakes and as such, they cannot learn the

language (Opinion leader/politician)

With reference to the literal skills of reading and writing, 18 (66.6%) of the

respondents said that they have problems, more especially with writing. With

reading, they noted the problems of difficu

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