First Lady hails teachers as backbone of Uganda’s education system

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The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, has celebrated the pivotal role played by the Teachers Making a Difference (TMD), an initiative spearheaded by the Vision Group.

According to Mrs Museveni, TMD has been vital in celebrating and honouring teachers who go beyond their professional responsibilities in service to their communities, saying that this reinforces the value of innovation and commitment in the teaching profession.

“As Government, we have implemented a number of policy interventions with the aim of improving access to education and enhancing the quality of learning in our educational institutions. I therefore thank His Excellency the President for the bold steps he took to introduce policies like the Universal Primary Education (UPE) Programme, which currently supports over 8.5 million learners countrywide,” Mrs Museveni said.

She indicated that the government has since launched UPE, Universal Secondary Education (USE)/ Universal Post Primary Education and Training (UPPET) policy.

“The Policy was specifically designed to increase access to secondary education, particularly for rural, economically disadvantaged learners, and has benefited thousands of Ugandans. In terms of physical infrastructure, Government has rehabilitated a number of educational institutions and has continued to pursue the policy of, at least one secondary school per sub-county and one primary school per parish,” Mrs Museveni said.

 She added that the government has also implemented curriculum reforms to address the relevance of our education, notably the competence-based curriculum, which is being implemented at ‘O’ Level. The new A’ Level curriculum is also being introduced to align with lower secondary curriculum reform.

“To our award winners, we celebrate you because of the difference you have made in the lives of the learners and your communities. We are aware that, in the context of a Ugandan teacher, making a difference is not just a catchy phrase, it is about daily intentional sacrifices and the demonstration of an excellent work ethic. I have read your profiles and also witnessed today, your amazing innovation and contributions, and we are honoured to acknowledge you and the three previous award beneficiaries today.”

She added; “Your courage, dedication and commitment know no bounds: from innovations in handling large classrooms, walking miles to remote villages in Karamoja, to discreetly providing counsel to a young girl whose heart is heavy with problems no child should bear, while diligently mobilizing parents to educate their children; you have all gone over and above the call of duty and for that we say a resounding Thank You! Some of you have even started bursary schemes to support bright children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their education. All these are truly inspirational stories!”

The minister indicated that teaching is not just a profession but a vocation and the foundation of every other discipline. “It is a profession of nurture and love that requires the patience of a parent, the wisdom of a mentor, and the heart of a servant leader. You are all the true embodiment of these values!”

“To all the members of this noble profession, God has granted you the stewardship of education and students in our nation. I appeal to you to approach your role with integrity, accountability and commitment to your continuous professional development.  Always prepare thoroughly for your lessons, manage time effectively and maintain ethical standards in your interaction with learners, colleagues and the community. Reflect on your teaching practices and remain open to new ideas. A professional teacher not only delivers teaching content, but also models discipline, respect and lifelong learning,” Mrs Museveni said.

She commended the Vision Group for initiating this project to celebrate the teachers who have gone the extra mile to nurture our nation.

“I am pleased to learn from Mr Don Wanyama about the continuous professional development workshop conducted recently, which exposed the past winners to: Effective Teaching for Competence-based Assessment and New trends in education and their impact on institutional management and administration, which was timely and could not have been more.”