Teachers in Maracha District have been challenged to upgrade their academic qualifications in line with government’s policy but also in a bid to enhance their personal career growth.

Government in the National Teachers Bill 2024 proposed a bachelor’s degree as a requirement for all teachers intending to practice the profession at all teaching levels in the country.

According to the government, all teachers starting with pre-primary must have degrees and those with undergraduate qualifications should upgrade to degree level. The Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka said that the proposal was already a Government policy that could not be reversed, and those affected have been given a 10-year window to obtain degrees.

Meanwhile, the Ugandan scheme of service for teachers is a policy designed to improve the teaching profession by outlining career progression, remuneration, and professional development. It aims to professionalize teaching, enhance the quality of education, and retain qualified teachers by addressing issues like salary disparities and attrition.

During a district dialogue, Maracha Resident District Commissioner, Mrs. Patience Edith Wibule Nambale said if the teachers don’t upgrade they will left behind in the government’s move to uplift education standards.

“When they closed the teacher colleges, the number of trained teachers has reduced we are going to face that problem,” she said

The District Sports Officer, Mr. Henry Aniku, who represented the District Education Officer acknowledged many teachers had not gone back to school to align their qualifications with the new demands.

In the dialogue the matter of most primary schools head teachers acting and caretaking generated a lot of discussion.  Mr. Aniku emphasized it was with in the powers of the teachers to attain the necessary qualification to move through the ladders from education assistant to head teachers. 

“We are talking about responsibility, they have the information that they are supposed to go for upgrading,” he said.

Maracha Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Ms. Monica Kotevu stated most teachers stagnate in their career progression which curtails their growth to become head teachers. 

“Most of our teachers enter at grade three level. Do the staff understand the growth in career path?” she asked.

Maracha District Vice Chairperson, Hon. Bosco Asea revealed in the previous council there was an attempt to promote teachers however after was  wage availed it was need discovered most of them did not have the required scheme of services.  

“As Secretary of Social Services I had an interface with the head teachers and they really raised a lot of complaints to me that they claimed they were all qualified and they are not given position we made an effort wage was available and when this wage was available we learnt that the teachers were qualified but the teachers scheme of service was a problem,” he presented.  

To cure the problem of getting head teachers outside the district due to scheme of service hindrance,  Hon. Asea said the District Executive Committee had come up with a plan aimed at periodic promotion of teachers.

“We increased the number of deputies and senior education assistants and I want to tell you the problem of not attracting head teachers will be solved in the short term. We shall promote our head teachers within the district, we are already building our won human resource,” he said

Mr. Patrick Dranimva, an official with Amani Initiative, an NGO operating in Maracha District, said the education department should continuously engage the teachers on attaining the needed qualifications and years of experience to scale their careers.

“I think there is some gap of not letting the teachers know, this is the procedure, these are the known qualifications, this goes back to the education department to play that role. Can we task the education to enhance that awareness creation,” he pointed out.