Seychelles hunts for Ugandan teachers to revamp its education sector

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government of Seychelles is currently looking for teachers from Uganda as part of its bid to revamp the sector and remove instructors who do not possess the approved teaching qualifications.

The sought after teachers in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, and design technology must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from a recognized institution or university, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and a working experience of at least three years.

Seychelles nation, a government-owned newspaper says that over 65 per cent of the teachers in their schools are unqualified. Information obtained from the education ministry indicates that the African island nation located in the Indian ocean will take at least 21 teachers for the start.

“The ministry is therefore inviting interested parties to apply…Applications are therefore invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill the vacant positions as specified,” a document from Uganda’s education ministry notes adding that those interested have up to May 4, 2022, to submit their applications for the jobs.

Successful applicants are expected to be paid over 34.9 million Shillings per year which translates into more than 2.9 million Shillings per month, alongside other benefits. This is more than two times the amount currently paid to science teachers in Uganda.

The idea of exporting professional teachers to Seychelles, a paradise archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles off the coast of Kenya, was first revealed last year by Dr Hassan Wasswa Galiwango, the first High Commissioner of Uganda to Seychelles, upon identifying the need moments after his first meeting with President Wavel Ramkalawan. Besides teachers, Dr Galiwango noted the island nation also had plans of attracting professionals in health, tourism, and agribusiness, among other sectors.

However, information obtained by URN indicates that this might not be the first group of Ugandan teachers to Seychelles as a few teachers had found their way to the said country on individual arrangements.

Dr Jane Egau, the Director of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, notes that the ministry through foreign missions, has for long been looking for countries where Uganda can send the teachers given the fact that currently, many teachers are searching for jobs yet the government cannot absorb all of them.

“We have actually been sending out teachers to many countries but mostly to our neighbours. Many Ugandan teachers can be found in South Sudan, DRC, Kenya, Tanzania and for some years Rwanda,” Dr Egau said. In South Sudan, she adds that the need for Ugandan teachers was high immediately after the youngest nation in Africa obtained her independence. “They needed our teachers to kick start their education system,” she said.

Around 2009, Rwanda is said to have recruited up to 1,000 English language teachers mainly from Uganda to fill staff shortages created since the language of instruction in schools was switched from French to English.

Egau says that as Uganda strengthens its teacher education system, the ministry is convinced that many countries will formally start exporting teacher labour from Uganda.

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URN