The Impact of a Diversified Educational Program on Career Goals: Tororo Girls' School in the Context of Girls' Education in Uganda

David R. Evans
Gordon L. Schimmel

Abstract

The research reported in this study was undertaken as a part of an ongoing relationship between the government of Uganda, USAID, and the University of Massachusetts. The study was occasioned by a desire on the part of all parties to better understand the impact of Tororo Girls' School and the Implications of its diversified program in the context of girls' education in Uganda. While too soon for evaluation of a school which had been in operation only five years, there was nevertheless considerable interest in looking at the contribution of the school to the education of girls in Uganda. There was also interest in the school because it represented on of three large-scale, diversified secondary schools set up jointly by American and African governments during the 1960s. The Ugandan government was interested in the study as a source of information for the ongoing policy decisions regarding the content and focus of girls' education in the country.

The specific goals of the study involve looking closely at the backgrounds of the girls admitted to the secondary schools in the sample and then looking at the characteristics of the girls produced by these schools. Variables studied include: girls' expectations for further education, their occupational aspirations, their desired conditions of employment, and their attitudes toward their future roles in the country. Within this general setting, the study focuses on the specialized curricula and the guidance program at Tororo which provide a unique model of a diversified girls' secondary school. Basically, the question being asked is whether a program such as that at Tororo does a better job of preparing girls to become productive members of society than the programs which are typical of most schools at the moment. The study also looks at some of the internal dynamics of the Tororo program, particularly in terms of the way girls view each of the specialized streams. The investigation centers around selection into the streams, activities during the two years of specialized training, and the influence of the training upon the girls' expectations and subsequent employment.