Degree policy forces more teachers into early retirement
Nursery teachers during a meeting with Ministry of Education officials at Iganga Progress SS in Iganga District on Saturday. PHOTO | TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
- In 2019, the government introduced a transformative teacher policy which among other things, phased out lower qualifications for teachers. According to this policy, all teachers including those at nursery and primary levels, are mandated to hold a Bachelor's degree.
A government policy requiring all teachers to have a degree as a minimum academic qualification is forcing more teachers in Busoga sub-region into early retirement, this publication has learnt.
In 2019, the government introduced a transformative teacher policy which among other things, phased out lower qualifications for teachers. According to this policy, all teachers including those at nursery and primary levels, are mandated to hold a Bachelor's degree.
As per the policy, teachers were given a 10-year ultimatum to elevate their qualifications to the required minimum standard or else leave the profession.
However, Covid-19, and delays in enacting the requisite legislation and the establishment of vital institutions like the Teacher Council and the Uganda National Institute of Teacher Education, among other disruptions, have affected its execution.
The Senior Education Officer in charge of pre-primary in the Department of Teachers’ Education Training and Development in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ms Sharon Kirabo, said they have recently noted that many teachers are applying for early retirement for fear of being sacked due to lack of a degree.
“This national teacher policy points out the issue of Bachelor’s degree for teachers, but it is pending approval by Parliament and should not cause shockwaves for teachers to start asking for early retirement,” she said on Saturday, while sensitising nursery teachers from Iganga municipality on the National Teacher Education Bill (2024) before Parliament.
She called for calm, saying once the Bill is passed and assented to by the President, a grace period of ten years will be given to all teachers who will not have attained a degree.
The Coordinator of the National Association of School Community ICT Outreach, Mr Michael Mubezi, said many teachers had no clue about the policy, the reason he organised the meeting for nursery teachers in Iganga District.
Ms Veronica Namususwa, a teacher at JK Hanna Nursery and Primary School in Iganga municipality, welcomed the policy, saying it is beneficial to nursery teachers because it bridges the education gap with others in the same profession.
“We have been suffering from an inferiority complex and being belittled by our colleagues who look at us as those with low education, but now we shall be at an equal level,” she said.
Iganga District Education Officer, Baker Kasadhakawo, noted a surge in the number of teachers seeking early retirement, saying on average, about 11 (teachers) are seeking early retirement every year.
“Since last year, we have retired about 22 teachers under an early retirement programme; however, the reasons cited for their early retirement were not convincing, but directly linked to the national teacher policy in the offing. Majority of the teachers retiring early said they wanted to look after their parents, which was not realistic because I cannot just imagine how one can help the parents without earning,” he said.
He, however, said that the teachers’ retirement has not created any gaps in schools because everyone was replaced.
