Teacher transfers affect marriage ties
Feb 25, 2007
HE gave up teaching because he could not stand working far away from his family. At 30, Yonah Malinga was just starting a family with his wife, a nurse at Mbale Hospital, whom he met while teaching in Mbale.
By Irene Nabusoba
HE gave up teaching because he could not stand working far away from his family. At 30, Yonah Malinga was just starting a family with his wife, a nurse at Mbale Hospital, whom he met while teaching in Mbale.
“With our second child on the way, it was unbearable to relocate to Luweero, while my family stayed in the east. I thought about commuting to Mbale once in a while, but found it costly. I also found my marriage very vulnerable to break-up because of the temptations that come with staying apart.
“I approached the education ministry for relocation, but I did not get any response. I just quit teaching. It was a hard choice to make, but I valued my marriage. I am now doing business,†Malinga says.
Malinga is not alone. He was brave enough to quit early. There are many teachers who blame their wretched marriages on the Government, claiming it is so inconsiderate when making transfers.
The education ministry recently transferred 1,600 headteachers.
The transfers mainly affect female teachers because their husbands dictate that they quit working if they value their marriages. The thought of their wives working far away is not logical.
However, the ministry says the transfers are a routine process aimed at improving the quality of education. The assistant commissioner for comprehensive secondary education, Robinson Nsumba-Lyazi, says a teacher is eligible for transfer in case of promotion, if he or she has overstayed in a place (for over 10 years) or has insufficient workload.
“History has proven that overstaying in a place lowers one’s productivity. A transfer is meant to improve efficiency in the system,†Nsumba-Lyazi says.
He says one could have upgraded such that the ministry realises that the acquired skills can improve the quality of another school. It could also be that the teacher has had an outstanding problem somewhere, hence the transfer is a punitive measure.
Nsumba-Lyazi, however, says several factors are considered when determining someone’s new workstation, with marriage high on the agenda.
He says the ministry does not have a systematic way of recording married teachers because individual circumstances change. People divorce, separate, re-marry and their spouses may get new jobs elsewhere.
“In principal, we protect the married couples. Some people just bring in excuses after being transferred, because they do not like the new environment. One should prove that he or she is married. But some teachers are probably not aware of this,†he explains.
The commissioner for secondary education, Yusuf Nsubuga, says he always gets applications from teachers requesting for relocation on marriage grounds and he effects them.
“I have sorted out many queries. We do not allow separation of families. Looking at it in the perspective of HIV/AIDS, I would not want a husband to be denied his conjugal rights and women to be put to temptation either, but one has to put it in writing.
“Sometimes people just upgrade their concubines to wives and expect the ministry to recognise them. Nevertheless, we have not been so strict on demanding for marriage certificates because the culture of cohabiting in Uganda is common,†Nsubuga says.
But some aggrieved teachers allege that it all depends on ‘technical know-who’ and luck, arguing that the ministry is so rigid on relocation.
“They will tell you that this is a difficult process and that not whoever is inconvenienced can be relocated. They instead tell you to be thankful to have made it to the payroll.
“The ministry also insists that you report to the new workstation first and complain later. Due to the bureaucracy involved, you end up working there forever,†says one teacher.
A counselling psychologist, says transfers can be extremely challenging because there are so many dimensions to it, especially when it comes to children.
“It takes two to raise children. There is no perfect side; whether they go to a school close to the mother or the father. Children are best groomed by both parents especially during the formative stages,†he reveals.
He adds that distance creates an emotional vacuum and puts spouses in compromising situations, leading to extramarital affairs and probable family breakup.
The counsellor warns that emotional deprivation negatively impacts on a teacher’s output. Nevertheless, he advises the teachers to revise coping mechanisms in case a possible relocation is not forthcoming.
“You may not compensate for the time lost, but consistently keep in touch with your spouse and the children. Make sure they feel your presence and ensure that you do not lose your position in the family. Otherwise, it is not about work and money. Family attachments cannot be ignored,†he says.
HE gave up teaching because he could not stand working far away from his family. At 30, Yonah Malinga was just starting a family with his wife, a nurse at Mbale Hospital, whom he met while teaching in Mbale.
“With our second child on the way, it was unbearable to relocate to Luweero, while my family stayed in the east. I thought about commuting to Mbale once in a while, but found it costly. I also found my marriage very vulnerable to break-up because of the temptations that come with staying apart.
“I approached the education ministry for relocation, but I did not get any response. I just quit teaching. It was a hard choice to make, but I valued my marriage. I am now doing business,†Malinga says.
Malinga is not alone. He was brave enough to quit early. There are many teachers who blame their wretched marriages on the Government, claiming it is so inconsiderate when making transfers.
The education ministry recently transferred 1,600 headteachers.
The transfers mainly affect female teachers because their husbands dictate that they quit working if they value their marriages. The thought of their wives working far away is not logical.
However, the ministry says the transfers are a routine process aimed at improving the quality of education. The assistant commissioner for comprehensive secondary education, Robinson Nsumba-Lyazi, says a teacher is eligible for transfer in case of promotion, if he or she has overstayed in a place (for over 10 years) or has insufficient workload.
“History has proven that overstaying in a place lowers one’s productivity. A transfer is meant to improve efficiency in the system,†Nsumba-Lyazi says.
He says one could have upgraded such that the ministry realises that the acquired skills can improve the quality of another school. It could also be that the teacher has had an outstanding problem somewhere, hence the transfer is a punitive measure.
Nsumba-Lyazi, however, says several factors are considered when determining someone’s new workstation, with marriage high on the agenda.
He says the ministry does not have a systematic way of recording married teachers because individual circumstances change. People divorce, separate, re-marry and their spouses may get new jobs elsewhere.
“In principal, we protect the married couples. Some people just bring in excuses after being transferred, because they do not like the new environment. One should prove that he or she is married. But some teachers are probably not aware of this,†he explains.
The commissioner for secondary education, Yusuf Nsubuga, says he always gets applications from teachers requesting for relocation on marriage grounds and he effects them.
“I have sorted out many queries. We do not allow separation of families. Looking at it in the perspective of HIV/AIDS, I would not want a husband to be denied his conjugal rights and women to be put to temptation either, but one has to put it in writing.
“Sometimes people just upgrade their concubines to wives and expect the ministry to recognise them. Nevertheless, we have not been so strict on demanding for marriage certificates because the culture of cohabiting in Uganda is common,†Nsubuga says.
But some aggrieved teachers allege that it all depends on ‘technical know-who’ and luck, arguing that the ministry is so rigid on relocation.
“They will tell you that this is a difficult process and that not whoever is inconvenienced can be relocated. They instead tell you to be thankful to have made it to the payroll.
“The ministry also insists that you report to the new workstation first and complain later. Due to the bureaucracy involved, you end up working there forever,†says one teacher.
A counselling psychologist, says transfers can be extremely challenging because there are so many dimensions to it, especially when it comes to children.
“It takes two to raise children. There is no perfect side; whether they go to a school close to the mother or the father. Children are best groomed by both parents especially during the formative stages,†he reveals.
He adds that distance creates an emotional vacuum and puts spouses in compromising situations, leading to extramarital affairs and probable family breakup.
The counsellor warns that emotional deprivation negatively impacts on a teacher’s output. Nevertheless, he advises the teachers to revise coping mechanisms in case a possible relocation is not forthcoming.
“You may not compensate for the time lost, but consistently keep in touch with your spouse and the children. Make sure they feel your presence and ensure that you do not lose your position in the family. Otherwise, it is not about work and money. Family attachments cannot be ignored,†he says.