Teachers must love their profession

John Ssentume interacts with some of his pupils at Kyotera Primary School recently. He says his love for teaching grows as he continues to grow in the profession. Photos by Ambrose Musasizi

“As I sat for O-Level examinations in 1995, my elder sister Florence Bukirwa had been admitted at Nkozi University to pursue a Diploma in Business Education. Her love for the profession inspired me to follow her,” narrates 44-year-old John Ssentume who has been teaching for the last 20 years.

Ssentume, a teacher of English language and Science and is currently the head teacher of Kyotera Primary School locally known as Kasambya Primary school, was born on November 20, 1974 to Emmanuel Nnyanzi and Vitalis Naluyima of Kasaali Town Council, Kyotera District.

He started his education at St Aloysius Biikira Boys in 1982 and sat Primary Leaving Exams in 1990. He joined Sacred Heart Kiteredde SS in 1991 but had to drop out of school after Senior Three and the whole of 1994 due to a financial setback in his parents.

Resuming school
According to Ssentume, this break affected his performance on his return to school in 1995 although he later gained momentum and caught up with his colleagues thus excelling in Uganda Certificate of Education exams.

At this time, his sister Bukirwa was at Nkozi University. He says, “She would make everyone feel that teaching was the best profession.”

Bukirwa is currently teaching at Kijjabwemi Secondary School in Masaka District.

Ssentume further says there are tutors who lived in their neighbourhood at the time such as Bosco Emron and Aaron Okech and the way they conducted themselves, showed them as responsible people which gave him an urge to emulate them.

On June 10, he joined Rakai Primary Teachers’ College, Biikira in the then Rakai District and acquired a Grade III certificate in 1998.

After his studies, finding a job seemed a bit difficult but he was later given an appointment to teach Science and English at St Jude Primary School, Kabuwoko in the current Kyotera District.

Ssentamu was later recruited in public service at Kyotera Primary School in 1999 where he taught until 2010. Thereafter, he joined Kiwumulo-Kooki Primary School in Rakai District before he was posted to Kasambya Primary School in the same year as the acting deputy head teacher.

In 2011, Ssentume was posted at Kyarugaba Primary School in Kakuuto County before joining Kyasimbi Primary School in Nabigasa Sub-county where he taught until 2013. He was then posted back to Kyotera Primary School as head teacher where he is teaching to date.

Challenges
Ssentume has faced a challenge of working in remote areas where some parents still see no essence of educating children.

He also once found difficulty in teaching more than 90 candidates yet he was the only one teaching Science and English in the school at the time.

The salary teachers receive is also said to be little compared to the work they do according to Ssentume.

He says, “Government should devise means of increasing teachers’ salaries so that they are motivated to teach the future leaders of the country.”

He says, for any teacher to help pupils achieve what they desire from education, they must love the profession and should avoid using the cane in the name of making learners grasp what they have been taught.

As he teaches, Ssentume’s love for the profession grows.

“I have seen many of my pupils succeed in life and this has impacted so much on my professional life. I have Winnie Namigadde and Joseph Lubega who are teaching here with me now. There is also Moses Ssenkindu who works with the Ministry of Finance in Malaysia together with Dr Ronald Kasekende who works at Mulago hospital,” he states.

Background
He graduated from Rakai Primary Teachers’ College, Biikira in the then Rakai District with a Grade III certificate in 1998. He started teaching Science and English at St Jude Primary School, Kabuwoko in the current Kyotera District that same year.

He later joined Kyotera Primary School in 1999 where he taught until 2010 and joined Kiwumulo-Kooki Primary School in Rakai District before joining Kasambya Primary School that same year as the acting deputy head teacher.

In 2011, he was posted at Kyarugaba Primary School in Kakuuto County from where he joined Kyasimbi Primary School in Nabigasa Sub-county where he taught until 2013. He was then posted back to Kyotera Primary School as head teacher where he is teaching to date.