For many children starting primary school, learning to read can be a difficult journey. At Versity Junior School in Lira City, however, a digital learning tool known as the Talking Pen is making literacy lessons more interactive and helping pupils practise reading on their own.
The device reads aloud words, sentences and passages from specially designed books, while also explaining content to learners. The school says it has helped pupils, particularly those who struggled with reading in the lower primary classes.
According to Sarah Akech, the Director of Studies at Versity Junior School, the school introduced the technology after teachers identified persistent literacy difficulties among pupils.
"We had a problem of reading in our school, basically in lower primary. Later on, our director decided to bring us the Talking Pen," Akech said.
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She said some pupils had shown little interest in reading despite teachers' efforts to help them.
"Sometimes when we teach these children how to read on our own, they don't get interested a lot. But with the help of the Talking Pen, learning becomes very interesting," she said.
The school later expanded the programme beyond lower primary after observing improvements among learners.
"We saw that it was helping us a lot. We even extended it to P4, P5, P6 and P7. Some of the new intake we got could not read, but after using the Talking Pen, they improved," Akech said.
The school currently has eight Talking Pens shared among different classes. Each device is used with specially designed books tailored to different learning levels, from nursery to Primary Seven.
Unlike conventional reading lessons, where pupils largely depend on teachers for guidance, the Talking Pen allows learners to practise independently once they have been taught how to use it.
"When a new child comes, we teach them how to operate it. We also bring them together with other learners who already know how to use the pen so they can help each other," Akech explained.
The device works by detecting coded pages in specially designed textbooks. When placed on a page, it reads words, sentences and instructions aloud, helping pupils practise pronunciation, build vocabulary and improve comprehension.
Although mainly used to support literacy, the school says the learning materials also cover English and Mathematics.
"It is majorly for reading. It helps children learn words and alphabetical letters. The books we have cover English and Mathematics," Akech said.
For learners, the technology has made reading more enjoyable and less intimidating.
"Before we started using the Talking Pen, reading was not easy for me. But now it helps me know how to pronounce words and understand what I am reading," said Pricilia Anena, a Primary Five pupil.
Isaac Akwanga, a Primary Seven pupil, said the device had improved his confidence and ability to study independently.
"I like using the Talking Pen because it explains things and helps me practise reading on my own. It has improved my confidence when reading in class," he said.
Uganda's Reading Challenge
The experience at Versity Junior School comes against a wider challenge facing Uganda's education system, where many children struggle to acquire basic reading skills in the early years of primary education.
Studies by USAID and the Ministry of Education have previously found that nearly eight in 10 Primary Two pupils could not read a single word of connected English text, highlighting the scale of the country's early-grade literacy challenge.
Education experts have increasingly stressed the need for approaches that give children more opportunities to practise reading, particularly in schools where teachers have large numbers of learners to support.
School administrators at Versity Junior School say the Talking Pen provides one such opportunity by allowing pupils to continue practising outside formal lessons.
"Parents can even buy them and take them home to help their children. When a child learns from home and at school, teachers are not overloaded with teaching them how to read," Akech said.
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However, the technology also faces practical challenges.
Like other electronic learning devices, the Talking Pen requires regular charging and depends on a reliable electricity supply.
"The only challenge is charging it. Sometimes power is off, yet it needs to be charged," Akech said, adding that a fully charged device can operate for about two days depending on usage.
She urged education stakeholders to consider introducing similar technologies in more schools, particularly those struggling with early-grade literacy.
"I think in Northern Uganda, or even the entire Uganda, we need to have these Talking Pens in schools because they help a lot when it comes to beginners learning how to read," she said.
As schools increasingly embrace digital learning tools, the experience at Versity Junior School shows how technology can complement classroom teaching by giving learners more opportunities to practise, build confidence and develop basic literacy skills.
