Title: Play-Based Learning Versus Commercial Pressure: Reconciling Uganda's Pre-Primary CBE Curriculum with Nursery Tour Practices
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius, Ahumuza Audrey, Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara
Volume: 10
Issue: 8
Pages: 192-200
Publication Date: 2026/08/28
Abstract:
Uganda's roll-out of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework at the pre-primary level places play-based, child-centred pedagogy at the core of early learning, yet an increasingly visible commercial practice among privately owned nursery schools, popularly known as the "nursery tour", has emerged as a countervailing force that risks displacing the pedagogical intent of the curriculum with marketing-driven spectacle. This study set out to examine the extent to which nursery tour practices reconciled with, or undermined, play-based CBE implementation in pre-primary schools within Kampala and Wakiso districts. The study was guided by three specific objectives: to determine the prevalence and characteristics of nursery tour practices among pre-primary schools; to establish the level of commercial pressure exerted on schools and its association with fidelity to play-based CBE principles; and to identify the predictors of CBE play-based alignment among pre-primary schools. A cross-sectional analytical design was adopted, drawing a stratified random sample of 260 pre-primary school administrators and lead teachers. Data were analysed using univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate chi-square and independent-samples t-tests, and multivariable binary logistic regression. Findings showed that 70.4% of sampled schools were privately owned and 68.1% conducted nursery tours, with 36.2% doing so termly. Only 41.9% of schools were classified as aligned with play-based CBE principles. Commercial pressure score was significantly higher among non-aligned schools (mean = 21.0, SD = 4.9) compared with aligned schools (mean = 16.9, SD = 5.7; p < 0.001). In the adjusted logistic regression model, each unit increase in commercial pressure score reduced the odds of CBE alignment by 14.1% (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.81-0.91, p < 0.001), teacher training in CBE increased the odds of alignment by 76% (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.01-3.06, p = 0.045), while larger class size was associated with lower odds of alignment (AOR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94-1.00, p = 0.026). The study concluded that commercialization, operationalised through frequent and marketing-oriented nursery tours, was a significant structural barrier to the faithful implementation of play-based pedagogy under Uganda's pre-primary CBE curriculum, and that teacher training and manageable class sizes were protective factors. The study recommends regulatory guidance on the frequency and content of nursery tours, mandatory CBE pedagogical training for all pre-primary teachers, and the institutionalization of play-based monitoring tools by the Ministry of Education and Sports and district education offices.