By Spy Uganda
The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja has revealed that all newly recruited teachers by Government will only be eligible for transfers after working at their posted stations for five years.
She disclosed this during the Prime Minister’s Question Time where she was responding to a question raised by Agnes Kirabo (Youth MP- Central Region) who tasked Government to explain why Government is frustrating teacher’s mobility through transfers even when some have genuine reasons for seeking the transfers.
“It has been a culture that any teacher would ask for transfer with justifiable reasons beyond social reasons to other work station at least after serving for two years in his or her current station. However, government has new guidance that the new teachers to be recruited will be required to serve in a school for at least five years in a new station before asking for transfer,” noted Nabbanja.
Kirabo tasked the Prime Minister to explain why the teachers who are soon to be recruited by Government to Seed Schools have been threatened not to ask for transfer hence denying them their right to be transferred.
“It should be noted that some teachers do request for transfer due to health conditions others due to having served in hard to reach and hard to live areas for long time. But the Ministry of Education has denied them that opportunity. Why should Government frustrate these teachers, mobility yet some may have genuine reasons for a transfer?” asked Kirabo.
The Prime Minister however defended the Policy shift arguing that it will enable smooth monitoring and supervision of teachers to support especially the Seed Secondary Schools that are often deserted by teachers after accessing the government pay roll.
She argued, “Government is soon recruiting new set of secondary school teachers and in their appointment letters and posting instructions, it will be clearly stated that they will work for at least five years before asking for transfer. The purpose of this new procedure is to allow stability of teachers in schools to avoid continuous mobility which affects the effectiveness of teaching and learning.”
Meanwhile, Acrobert Kiiza (Bughendera County) asked the Premier to provide an update on when Government intends to construct two grant aided schools taken over by Government in 2017 and 2020, but these have since been abandoned.
“Government grant aided Sonk Secondary School and Bukonzo Seed Secondary School in Bundibugyo district. But to our dismay to date, these two Government aided schools have never been considered for construction. They are operating under dilapidated wooden structures,” noted Kiiza.
Patrick Nyanzi (Butemba County) also tasked the Prime Minister to explain when Government intends to fulfill its promise on the establishment of a Technical and Vocational Institution in each Constituency, saying this would improve skilling and reduce on unemployment among the youths who drop out of school although two constituencies in Kyakwanzi have no vocational training institute.
He cited recent media reports noting, “The Daily Monitor analyzed the problem of school dropouts indicating that 1.8million learners enrolled in Primary One in 2012, that same cohort was followed up to Senior Six to 2024 and only 140,000 were able to register for Senior Four. Now, these dropouts ideally should be skilled if we are to address the problem of unemployment.”
Nabbanja urged Parliament to support President’s plan of establishment of skilling centres across the country that will help absorb learners who drop out of school and champion the protest against what she termed illegal fees imposed on learners by the school administrators.
“We also need to come out as leaders and see how best we can prevail over the situation, this isn’t a good situation, because Government has been able to provide Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education but our children continue to drop out of school because of illegal fees in our schools. So the leaders together with the school administrators should stop illegal charges in our Government aided schools. The dropout rate will definitely reduce,” said Nabbanja.
