Teachers trip to Ireland postponed over COVID-19

EDUCATION  HEALTH  VIRUS

KAMPALA  - A study trip for the winners of the New Vision's Teachers' Making Difference (TMD) competition has been postponed due to COVID- 19. Six teachers and a journalist were slated to travel to Ireland in May.

Also, the TMD training that was supposed to be facilitated by Irish teachers on April 8 has been put off. Irish teachers were supposed to travel to Uganda early next week as part of an exchange visit.

Coronavirus has infected over 460,000 people and killed over 20,000 around the world, according to Johnson Hopkins University. At least 100,000 have recovered from the virus.

In Uganda 14 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health. The virus has affected at least 195 countries.

According to the Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Irish Embassy Lorraine Gallagher says due to coronavirus, the recommendation of the Embassy has been to cancel or reschedule any incoming or outgoing trips between Uganda and Ireland up to and including June.

"Irish teachers will not be coming to Uganda.  Hope everyone is taking precautions for themselves and their families in these strange times," Gallagher says.

She, however, remains optimistic that the trip will be held this year.

" We very much hope that this activity can be rescheduled later in the year," Gallagher says.

Ian Dolan, Country Director Trocaire, explains that due to the effects of the coronavirus and the travel restrictions applied all activities have to be reconsidered.

"So, lamentably, both sets of teacher visits are suspended or postponed for the foreseeable future.  Let us monitor the situation and see how it evolves over the next few months.  One possibility is to consider re-scheduling the two trips for later in the year around October - as a provisional idea," Dolan says.

He explains that both Irish Aid and Trócaire felt that we should be cautious and prioritise on minimising infections thus saving lives.

"I am sure this will be a big blow to the teachers but as of now, this is not a cancellation but a postponement until we see how the situation with Covid 19 evolves," Dolan says.

Teachers Making a Difference is part of the Ugandans Making a Difference (UMD) project initiated by New Vision in April 2008. 

The project recognises and rewards individual teachers who are innovatively using limited resources to have a positive impact on their schools and communities.

Since 2017, New Vision has been privileged to implement the project in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland, Trócaire and Simba Travelcare, one of Uganda's leading tour and travel management companies.

Meanwhile, the 2020 TMD competition is on with nominations welcome from the public.

Under the competition, the public nominates Uganda's most innovative teachers and an independent jury of eminent personalities select the top 12 for recognition.

Any person is free to nominate a teacher who he or she thinks has been outstanding.

The nominee must:

- Be a Ugandan teacher in a school in Uganda (pre-primary, primary, secondary or technical and vocational institution)

- Have mobilised communities to take their children to school

- Be creatively using limited resources to deliver quality education

- Be promoting vocational and life skills education

- Be an active participant in co-curricular activities.

Send your nomination and their contacts by email to mwalimu@newvision.co.ug OR SMS to 8338 (type TOP TEACHERS space and the reason for nomination and their contact).