Alcoholism has eaten deep into the fabric of the teaching profession

By Martin Kanyegirire

In his 36 years of life, Frank Ssuna, a teacher, has assaulted a woman in a bar, been fired from his job over circumstances he does not remember and has been to the National Care Centre, a rehab in Kireka, all because of heavy drinking.

He consistently got to class late, with red-shot eyes, shirt creased and reeking of the previous night’s drink. He had become the typical drunkard and often missed because of hangovers.

But as the World Health Organisation report once ranked Uganda among the top alcohol consumers, Ssuna’s story does not come as a surprise. However, for his profession, it is a surprise as teachers are supposed to be role models.

Dr. Daniel Nkaada, a commissioner at the education ministry says: “Alcohol leads to failure to perform. That is why the teachers’ code of conduct states that teachers shall not teach under the influence of substances like drugs and alcohol.”

Undoubtedly, an alcoholic teacher can neither motivate students nor command respect. This behaviour has a far-reaching impact on the learners’ perceptions. It also dents the prospects of conducting timely assessments.

Alcohol is one of the causes of teacher absenteeism in schools, Nkaada notes. Teachers stay away when they have a hangover because they are too weak to teach.

“A drunken teacher cannot instil morals in students. When students miss lessons they don’t complete the syllabus and are likely to fail exams. When students are left unattended to, they feel cheated and may demand a refund or even turn violent,” says Allan Wamala, the head teacher of North Road Secondary School in Mbale.

The impact is far-reaching because students fail to understand what is happening to the teachers.

“Teachers who indulge in excessive drinking may not complete the syllabus and will instead resort to cheating exams for their students as a means of compensating,” Wamala notes.

Impact on students

Teachers who engage in binge drinking in a way teach their students the habit; they also do not have the moral authority to condemn the act.

It is no surprise that some students have taken to alcohol even at school. A study conducted by the Makerere University School of Public Health shows that one in every four secondary school students takes alcohol in excess.

According to Roger Kasirye the chairman of the Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL), 67% of students in Kampala confessed to occasional use of alcohol. UYDEL is an organisation that deals in rehabilitating young people

However, UYDEL’s research attributes the love for alcohol to seeking pleasure, the desire to socialise and to forget problems at home or in relationships.

Some students also believe that it gives them confidence to face certain challenges. For others, it is due to boredom because of lack of recreational facilities. But according to Wamala, some students start by taking alcohol as normal beverage because the people they look up to are also taking it.

Ssuna, now a volunteer with Hope and Beyond, an alcohol and drug consultation service, also cites the failure by parents to listen to their children.

“My father never listened to me, so whenever I would be around my cronies swigging a beer, I would feel accepted. I gradually got addicted,” Ssuna says.

Roger Nsereko, a psychologist at Butabika Hospital, cites dejection and depression as other reasons both students and teachers turn to alcohol. However, some start drinking out of peer influence and end up getting addicted.

Nsereko notes that once one gets addicted, they ensure that the barrels are dry before they can return home.

What has the education ministry done?

The Ministry of Education and Sports admits that some teachers have taken to drinking and so have some students. However, a two-pronged approach is being taken to address the vice; integration of substance abuse modules into the syllabi of primary schools and teacher training colleges and the introduction of rules and regulations that prohibit students from drinking while at school.

Other efforts to curb the vice include the Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for Communication to Youth, where elements regarding the dangers of alcohol have been incorporated while head teachers have been asked to talk to pupils during assemblies.

Kasirye remains optimistic that with combined efforts from school administrators, parents, and the education ministry, drug and alcohol abuse among Ugandan students can be wiped out.

He further recommends that the education ministry, school authorities and parents need to be informed and sensitised about the dangers of alcoholism so that they appreciate the need to provide assistance rather than to expel students.