Belgium gives sh56b for teachers

By Conan Businge & Vivian Agaba                                                  
THE BELGIUM Government has given Uganda 17.5m Euros (about sh60bn) to improve the training of teachers and health workers in business and technical institutions in the country.

The Government of Uganda will also add 1m Euro (about sh6bn), to the grant obtained from Belgium, to help improve the institutions.
               
The funds will be distributed amongst national teachers colleges of Kaliro and Muni, Abilonino Community Polytechnics Instructors and Mulago health Tutors. The funds will train health tutors, technical teachers and secondary schools teachers in the country.
               
The six year project is being implemented by the education and sports ministry. The project was launched yesterday in Kampala, by the Director General of Belgium Development Cooperation Peter Moors and the educations state minister Charles Bakabulindi.

The Belgian Ambassador Marc Gedopt and education ministry's permanent secretary Francis Xavier Lubanga attended.
It is meant to increase quality and equity in secondary education as part of improving free education in the country.

Moors said the funds are meant to help the country improve its education system, with special attention to provision of free education at the secondary level in the country.

Lubanga also vowed to have funds properly accounted for. “As in the past, we promise to deliver as per the agreed expectations. I have a team of able commissioners and project coordinators who will not let down Uganda and Belgium,” Lubanga said.

He added that the country was committed to have millions of its citizens trained to acquire skills, which will gradually boost the economy.

The state minister also noted that the country now needs learner centered, other than teacher-centered education.
Uganda is one of the 18 Belgian Bilateral partner countries.

The Belgian Bilateral Cooperation started in Uganda in 1995 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, containing projects in the transport and telecommunications sectors. Others were in institutional capacity building of local governments.