14,000 Teaching Posts Empty

OVER 14,000 vacancies in primary schools still remain unfilled, the majority in hard-to-reach districts, an Education Sector Review workshop was told yesterday, reports John Eremu.The workshop, held at Hotel Equatoria, brings together donors and other stakeholders to review progress in the education sector.It recommended that the ban on the recruitment of tutors for primary teacher colleges and secondary school teachers be lifted as it impacted negatively on the performance of students.The workshop recommended that the Government immediately implements an incentive scheme to attract teachers to hard-to-reach areas. It was observed that almost every district had hard-to-reach areas due to difficult terrain like some areas in Kisoro or insecurity in places like Bushenyi, Gulu and Kitgum.“The districts reaffirmed that teachers who are recruited and deployed to such areas turn down the appointments and simply re-apply to other districts,” the chief rapporteur, Aggrey Kibenge, said in the recommendations he presented.The ten districts with the highest number of vacancies are; Kabarole with 1,106 teaching posts, Kibaale, 778, Mbarara, 744, Katakwi, 695, Tororo, 642, Bushenyi, 629, Kabale, 569, Luweero, 531, Masaka 429 and Lira 370. Participants said books should be issued to pupils at the beginning of every term. Many said some head teachers kept the books in the stores.Ends