The education ministry on Wednesday trained 94 primary school headteachers in Gulu district and city on how to effectively use the Teacher Effectiveness and Learner Achievement (TELA) system.

The TELA system is an innovation launched by the ministry in March to enhance successful teacher attendance and teaching in primary schools across the country where teachers are monitored using a smartphone.

Jordan Turyatunga, the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Expert in Charge of TELA at the ministry, said they want to empower the headteachers to make correct use of the application to produce results in their schools as far as monitoring teachers is concerned.

George Ogwal, the head teacher of Omoti Hill Primary school

Turyatunga said upon proper use, the TELA systems provide real-time information to the ministry and that they need to use this in all the schools.

He added that they also want to solve the technicality of the use of the system arising from complaints from the headteachers who find trouble using it.

Improved attendance

Betty Aol, the chairperson of the Gulu District Primary School Head Teachers Association, said following the training, school attendance is improving to a greater extent.

“You find every teacher striving hard to reach school before 8:00 am

An Official from the MoES takes a head teacher through the TELA system through her TELA Smart phone

so that they are not marked late, which is improving teaching,” Aol said.

Aol, who is also the headteacher of Tegot Primary School in Paico sub-county, said when the TELA programme was rolled out in March, many of the headteachers had no idea of how to use it, but they are now able to thanks to the training.

Fiona Grace Atim Odong,the Gulu City Inspector of Schools

She, however, expressed concern about some challenges including the need for constant electricity, which is not suitable for rural schools, network-related challenges, need for data, which makes it hard to cope with.

Fiona Grace Atim Odong, the Gulu city inspector of schools, said the training offered a capacity building that has made most of the headteachers ready to cope with this innovation.

She however said that they are focusing on improving teaching in schools, which starts with boosting teacher daily attendance and the daily attendance has improved up to 99%.

Teachers attending training at the Gulu District Council hall

George Ogwal, the headteacher of Omoti Hill Primary School in Paico sub-county, Gulu district, said they are optimistic that they shall continually record drastic improvement in managing teachers’ attendance in school.

Ogwal, who has been the best-performing headteacher in Gulu district since the launch of the system, however, appealed to fellow headteachers to embrace the innovation.