Agency for teachers is not required
The government this week unveiled the new teacher management policy with a number of recommendations. One of them is the establishment of a body in-charge of licensing teachers. The proponents of this proposal argue that it will help to attract and retain the best teachers.
However, I beg to disagree like many other Ugandans who have expressed misgivings about the proposal,
We need a complete overhaul of the education system and not merely establishing another cost-centre in terms of a new body. Government should be aiming at strengthening the existing departments to strengthen quality assurance and motivation.
I do not know whether government analyses policies before implementation. Why are we in a hurry to create new agencies when existing ones are limping?
Towards end of last year, the government informed the public that it was embarking on the process of merging agencies to cut costs. However, since then, we have instead seen a number of agencies being created.
Do we really have a strategic national plan on where we want to see this country to be say 50 to 100 years from now? Do we really care about the future generation of this country.
In my view, we do not need new agency for licensing teachers. All we need is strengthening the existing institutions to offer the same services we want at cheaper cost.
The argument that creating a new body will ensure quality without for instance addressing the financing and strengthening of the inspectorate department at local government is far from being achieved.
The inspectorate department has been so much neglected and without it, you cannot think of ensuring quality, for example, among private schools. The inspectors can easily be compromised given their working conditions. Worse still, they cannot ensure 100 per cent coverage. You cannot achieve continuous professional development when you have no elaborate mechanisms in terms of training budget enhancement.
Attracting and retaining the best is not as simple as ensuring re-registration of teachers every two years as the policy proposes. You need overhaul of the whole system. You cannot attract the best when you are still paying teachers less than $50 a month. We are simply treating symptoms. The policy does not address issues of attracting the best in the colleges. Many teachers are boda boda riders. Teacher training colleges have been left for the less privileged who cannot afford joining the so called good schools and we are talking of attracting the best. This will remain on paper as long as a holistic approach to resolving education system challenges is not adopted.
We have simply failed to set agenda for the education sector in this country and I am worried the future of this country is in balance.
Edson Ashabahebwa,
[email protected]
