Ugandan teachers lack motivation to teach – Educationists

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | World renown educationists are calling government to motivate teachers to teach as a means of improving the quality of education in the country.

The call was made during the National Teachers Symposium that begun in Kampala on Wednesday.

According to educationists teachers need better salaries and conducive work environments to be able to teacher learners effectively. Educationists who attended the symposium told URN that the lack of teacher motivation is the reason why teacher absenteeism is still high in the country.

According to UNICEF, more than 60 percent of the teachers are absent from a classroom annually.

While addressing the keynote address at the symposium, Dr. Margo O’Sullivan, the former UNICEF Uganda Education Chief and currently the director of Education and Development Solutions in West Ireland says that even if technology advances or continuous teacher training takes place when teachers are not motivated to teach, the quality of education in Uganda will continue to lag.

She says if teachers are not motivated to teach, learners do not learn. According to O’Sullivan teacher absenteeism in high due to lack of motivation.

Peter Tabichi, a Kenyan science teacher and also the 2019 Global Teacher Prize awardee says that if teachers are not motivated, learners cannot learn.

“Even with the development of ICT and introduction of technology in African classrooms, teachers are important. It’s the teacher who will use different forms of technology for learning to take place. Technology cannot replace teachers,” said Tabichi.

In 2019, government passed the National Teachers Policy. One of the issues the policy will address is the teacher motivation. According to education ministry officials, one of the key elements within the policy which calls for continuous professional development will help the ministry motivate teachers by providing continuous training opportunities.

However, despite such opportunities, Dr Jane Egau, the commissioner in charge of Teacher Instruction, Education and Training – TIET says that the biggest motivational challenge that teachers face today is lack of salary. She quickly adds that the lack of money in one of many challenges.

Dr. Egau says that lack of housing and big teacher to learner ratio are as equally responsible for lack of teacher motivation.

Alex Kakooza, the permanent secretary of the ministry of education says that the education ministry has embarked on constructing teacher housing as a means to motivate teachers. The education ministry has begun a policy of building five houses at all its seed schools as a starting point.

******

URN