Blocking ministry of education officials from World Teacher's Day celebration a wrong siginal

By Patrick Kaboyo

The ministry of Education science technology and sports is one of those institutionally, legally and operationally most challenged of the ministries in Uganda.

With low learning achievement at all levels of teaching and school administration, alarming records of head teacher and teacher absenteeism save for a few that are exemplary, shocking figures of pupil absenteeism that teachers and head teachers have failed to curb, high dropout rates that district education officers cannot explain and defend, poor survival rates that government is slowly avoiding to discuss, poor and dropping completion rates that are annually captured in any serious study or research, creation of ghost registers by the very teachers who are supposed to be morality custodians, to failing to draw a line between responsibility and accountability, teachers have never experienced the punitive arm of their employer decisively.

So, it is wrong for teacher leaders anywhere in the world to think that delaying SACCO remittance their side tantamount to denying senior teachers and administrators at the ministry a right to celebrate with the rest of the teachers.

For example, it is common knowledge that in the countryside, teachers defile the very pupils and students they teach, have fallen short of the professionalism that they are demanded of and, sometimes, teachers run their business of teaching in unprofessional manner, the business as usual way.

With all the above challenges, the ministry of education has never locked out any teacher or teacher groups from participating in any local, national or international activity because they are found wanting in terms of appraisal for underperformance or posting worst results ever.

Teachers nationwide should note that without a clear institutional, legal and operational framework, the president announced teachers’ SACCO money in billions to make a political statement. Aware that such a donation ought to have come with clear presidential directives that are beyond question, invoking powers did not deviate from the normal government line of financial management to offer express instruments to direct immediate release of the said funds but rather remained a puzzle to be fully implemented.

As a result of this late or non-remittance of the teachers’ SACCO money, good lessons in offering and managing donations to individuals and groups cannot be avoided but taken with because the journey towards socio-economic transformation for Uganda continues whether with or without donations, handouts or political announcements.

Further, is should be noted that the president could have needed a bigger picture reflection on matters of independence, frugality and fiduciary requirements before he announced his offer. Rationality for beneficiary choices could have been an oversight then viewed as unavoidable in political lens now.

Going forward, the giver and the recipient for this money need to comply with agreed and acceptable financial management standards. In view of these principles, the ministry of education officials should not and cannot be held at ransom to be blocked out as teachers’ celebrations.

Alarm bells should not be sounded but rather replaced with honest dialogue giving ground for quality and equity for all teachers whether in public or private education institution. Basic, secondary, tertiary or university teachers deserve to be treated peacefully without being locked out of the celebrations. Apportioning blame to either junior or senior ministry of education officials in connection to the disbursement of SAACO money is wrong targeting and launching a misguided missile. The missile should be re-launched to hit the right target for those launching, know it very well.

Continuous listening to warnings and caution sounded to ministry of education officials on different radio stations deterring them from attending the 2015 world teachers’ celebrations over  unremitted teachers’ SACCO funds is not the solution but a resonance to what the preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO declares that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed". 

As we reminisce the culture of donations or gifting, demanding of SACCO funds must offer us peace to remain peaceful. It could be true that the ministry may be responsible for the release of the said funds but I must assert that the ministry is not totally responsible for the money in question because the money was politically offered without proper guidelines for access, usage and usability, management and administration.

Since it was politically announced but did not emerge organically from the sector, it could easily be delivered politically by the way it was given. Themed to Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies, celebrations for this year’s world teachers’ day should not be customized to only unionized teachers but rather to all professional teachers anywhere in the world devoid of political undertones.

The writer is a member of the Education sector consultative committee