Education planning strategies and students’ achievement in private secondary schools in Uganda. A case of Kagadi district.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of education planning strategies on students’ achievement in private secondary schools in Kagadi District. The objectives were to examine the influence of curriculum planning on students’ achievement in private secondary schools in Kagadi District, to assess the influence of instructional planning on students’ achievement in private secondary schools in Kagadi District and to examine the influence of students’ assessment on students’ achievement in private secondary schools in Kagadi District. The study adopted a cross sectional research design with mixed methods of research approaches (quantitative and qualitative research approaches). Data was obtained from a sample of 103 respondents which was determined from a population of 140 individuals. The study used three data collection methods which included survey method, interviewing method, observation checklist and focus group discussions. Results for objective one revealed an Adjusted R Squared of .352 (35.2%) on the effect of curriculum planning on students’ achievement. This implies that curriculum planning positively predicts students’ achievement in Secondary schools by 35.2%. The results for objective two revealed that instructional planning has an effect of 18.7% (Adjusted R Squared =0.187) on students’ achievement. This implies that instructional planning positively predicts students’ achievement in Secondary schools by 18.7%. The results on objective three revealed that students’ assessment has an effect of 36.4% (Adjusted R Squared =0.364) on students’ achievement. This implies that students’ assessment positively predicts students’ achievement in Secondary schools by 36.4%. The study recommended that secondary schools in Kagadi District should encourage teachers to consistently prepare and use detailed schemes of work and lesson plans, ensuring that curriculum delivery is systematic and aligned with national standards. It was also recommended that the Ministry of Education and district inspectors should provide ongoing training programs focused on practical instructional planning techniques, particularly on how to adapt lesson plans to resource-constrained environments while still maintaining quality and learner engagement. The study concluded that when planning is done deliberately and aligned with learner-centered approaches, it becomes a powerful tool that enables teachers to address the contextual challenges of large classes, resource limitations and diverse learner needs. It was also concluded that the influence of instructional planning lies not only in structuring content delivery but also in fostering teacher confidence, classroom control and learner motivation. Students’ assessment serves not only as a mechanism for measuring achievement but also as a powerful driver of learning processes.