Head teachers responsible for teacher absenteeism, says government

The Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education, Ms Kedrace Turyagyenda, issued a circular accusing them of not doing enough to curb teacher absenteeism in schools.

In the October 31 circular sent to all head teachers of primary and secondary schools, Ms Turyagyenda complained that some classroom teachers are absconding from duty, with some being absent for more than a year without authorization from their respective supervisors yet their names continue to be on the government payroll. This, Ms Turyagyenda said, has been confirmed by various inspection and investigative reports.

The PS said some teachers are mainly preoccupied with running their own schools, while others are moonlighting in private schools, which they claim are paying them more money. She blamed all this on the head teachers, whom she accused of not doing effective supervision. The PS has threatened disciplinary action against all head teachers who are not reporting absentee teachers. She directed head teachers to report absentee teachers to authorities to have them deleted from the payroll.

Challenges from local districts

Mr Julius Musaasizi Kizito, the Buikwe District Education Officer, admitted that teacher absenteeism has become a hard nut to crack.

“This is something [absenteeism] we are experiencing daily, but it is hurting the sector. Teachers are free to have in place income-generating activities as long as they don’t abscond from government duties,” he said. “The problem is that they concentrate more on private work and forget schools which made them who they are today,” he added.

In West Nile, the education department in Nebbi Municipality is yet to find the whereabouts of three classroom teachers, who reportedly abandoned their duty stations four months ago allegedly due to fear of being arrested by money lenders.

Mr Peter Openjtho, the municipality education officer, said the teachers left the schools without any formal written letters to their head teachers.

“Two of these teachers are from Nyacara Primary School and one female teacher from Afere Primary School,” Mr Openjtho said. Ms Joyce Amaniyo, the head teacher of Afere Primary School, said the teacher disappeared from school in July after gathering information that moneylenders were looking for her over an unpaid debt.

Mr Robert Abak, the Nebbi Resident District Commissioner, said many teachers are in debts, and because they cannot service the loans they secured from commercial banks, some have decided to go into hiding. “Some teachers have crossed to other professions not because they are earning less salary but because they are overwhelmed by debts due to multiple loans,” he said.

Private ventures and absenteeism

At Holy Rosary Primary School in Gulu City, Mr. Charles Ondoki, the head teacher, said the issue of absenteeism has persisted at his school and the main culprits are teachers owning private businesses. “I had an issue with one of the teachers who was a boda boda rider; he could leave school to go and do his business, claiming the salary he was getting was not enough,” Mr Ondoki explained.

Mr Anthony Lawot, the Kitgum District Education Officer, noted that due to extensive engagement with local authorities who directly engage with the school authorities, they have registered a decline in teacher absenteeism. “We engage local leaders at the school level, the school management committee and board; they monitor the head teachers very closely to check if they are covering up any absent teachers, and through the leadership of the head teachers, reports are made every week,” he said.

In Jinja City, Ms Vincentia Musubika, the head teacher of Kyomya Primary School, said two teachers have become habitual absentees and worse still, they don’t notify her office or the deputy head teacher.

“One of these teachers was transferred to my school a year ago, but her impact and contribution to pupils has never been felt. She [absent teacher] claims we don’t give her transport refund that she used to get when teaching in one of the schools in Jinja City,” she said. “Much as we are in Jinja City’s Northern Division, we don’t have the welfare services she expected,” Ms Musubika added.

Fraud and disciplinary action

A head teacher at Bwerero Primary School in Lumino Town Council in the border district of Busia disappeared from school after allegedly failing to account for capitation grants. Mr Kennedy Menya, the district inspector of schools, said the male suspect ran away from the school early this year after failing to account for the funds sent by the Ministry of Education. The money, according to the inspector, was meant for the procurement of scholarship materials.

As a result, Mr Menya said, the Chief Administrative Officer interdicted the head teacher and his name was deleted from the payroll. He said whereas the head teacher is still on the run, a case related to fraud was opened against him and once arrested, he will be asked to answer questions of accountability.

Challenges in remote areas

Rubanda District Education Officer Francis Serununu said lack of staff accommodation and poor road network are some of the causes of teacher absenteeism in hard-to-reach areas in the district. However, there are isolated cases of teachers absenting themselves from school to do private businesses. “Submitting names of teachers who absent themselves to the district’s rewards and sanctions committee for disciplinary action has scared many teachers,” he said.

Technology to the rescue

Rukiga District Education Officer Vastina Beyendera said the implementation of the teacher effectiveness and learner attendance tracking system funded by the Ministry of Education through its Directorate of Education Standards has reduced teacher absenteeism.

The Burden

According to the World Bank, Ugandan taxpayers lost a staggering Shs1.5 trillion due to absenteeism among teachers at public schools between January and June 2022. The World Bank disclosed that a “2023 government report estimated losses from foregone instructional time at Shs1.5 trillion and also noted the problem of “moonlighting,” where teachers take on additional jobs to supplement their income.”

Mr Kennedy Menya, the district inspector of schools, said the male suspect ran away from the school early this year after failing to account for the funds sent by the Ministry of Education. The money, according to the inspector, was meant for the procurement of scholarship materials.

As a result, Mr Menya said, the Chief Administrative Officer interdicted the head teacher and his name was deleted from the payroll. He said whereas the head teacher is still on the run, a case related to fraud was opened against him, and once arrested, he will be asked to answer questions of accountability.

"We had many teachers who had resorted to doing boda boda business, but as I speak, the vice has drastically reduced," Mr Menya said.

Challenges
Rubanda District Education Officer Francis Serununu said lack of staff accommodation and poor road network are some of the causes of teacher absenteeism in hard-to-reach areas in the district. However, there are isolated cases of teachers absenting themselves from school to do private businesses.

"Submitting names of teachers who absent themselves to the district’s rewards and sanctions committee for disciplinary action has scared many teachers," he said.

Kabale District Education Officer Moses Bwengye said although cases of teacher absenteeism have reduced in his district, alcoholism, loan defaulting, and the desire to operate personal businesses are some of the factors that lead to teacher absenteeism.

Rukiga District Education Officer Vastina Beyendera said the implementation of the teacher effectiveness and learner attendance tracking system funded by the Ministry of Education through its Directorate of Education Standards has reduced teacher absenteeism.

"As administrators, we are grateful to the government because these devices have helped to curb teacher absenteeism in our schools," Ms Beyendera said.

Mr Robert Barigye, the head teacher of Kibungo Primary School in Ibanda District, said:

"We made resolutions with the board of governors and informed our teachers that whoever becomes absent for two days without informing us, action will be taken against them. Generally, the attendance is currently good, and we are closing the year at 95 percent."

Ms Gertrudu Atukunda, the head teacher of Rushanje Girls SS in Rwampara District, said they do not face the problem of absenteeism, but teachers only appear when they have lessons.

"The reason they also appear when they only have lessons is because of housing issues. A teacher looks at spending all the salary on transport when they have no lessons and decides to stay home," she said.

This, Ms Atukunda said, has affected learners because they do not get time to consult the teachers on things they didn’t understand in class.

In the eastern district of Kumi, leaders have asked the Parents, Teacher Associations (PTA) and the school management committees (SMCs) to ensure they routinely monitor the attendance of teachers to curb absenteeism.

Ms Sarah Adongo, the district education officer, said despite the routine visits by the school inspectors, the PTAs and SMC chairpersons should always be the first monitors of teachers.

"There are mechanisms put in place by the district and head teachers to ensure the teachers are at school during working hours," she said.

The Jinja District Education Officer, Mr Paul Balinaine, said they have no cases of absentee teachers in the district.

"In Jinja, I can confirm that there are no absentee teachers on the payroll," he said.

In the island district of Buvuma, the district education officer, Mr Hussein Bugembe, said they have not yet received the circular from the permanent secretary complaining about absentee teachers and that they do not exist in the area.

Compiled by: Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Abubaker Kirunda, Tausi Nakato, Godfrey Masiko, Robert Muhereza, Emmanuel Arineitwe, David Awori, Jovita Kyarisiima, Felix Ainebyoona, Cosline Nakahiira, Simon Peter Emwamu, Felix Warom Okello, Teddy Dokotho, Emmy Daniel Ojara & Patrick Okaba.