Is the pay-per-lesson scheme to victimise or boost teachers?

By Joel Ogwang

THE old adage that those who have more shall receive more, while those with little will lose even the little they have, may come to pass as the education ministry moves to revise the mode of payment of teachers’ salaries.

To curtail the growing wave of absenteeism in schools, the Government plans to review the teachers’ mode of payment. This move comes in the wake of a government report which established that 30% of lessons are missed in government schools because of absenteeism. In the proposed policy, the teachers will be paid according to the number of days taught instead of the monthly salary.

Battle lines drawn
Educationists say this will be one of the most radical and contentious reforms in the history of education, if implemented.

“Teachers are not mad to absent themselves, they are people of integrity,” Moses Otyek, a veteran educationist, argues. He says the ministry is not addressing the cause, but diagnosing the symptoms of a bigger problem. “When I started teaching, I had a Grade A medical card that entitled me to free medical care in any government hospital. This is no more today. The issue is addressing the welfare of teachers not treating them like casual labourers.”

Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, a development consultant, echoes a similar view. “If you pay a teacher according to the lesson taught, how about the time they spend on research, lesson preparation and supervision?” he asks.

Nuwagaba questions why teachers are the target yet the problem of absenteeism cuts across the entire civil service.

“It is a crazy policy that turns teachers into bapakasi (casual labourers). In the public service, it is not only teachers who are absenting themselves,” Nuwagaba warns. “The issue is about creating a conducive environment for all professionals to enjoy doing their work.”

Experts argue that the policy of addressing absenteeism should not be implemented selectively to appear like the problem is unique to teachers. Absenteeism of medical personnel, especially in upcountry health units is alarming.

Teachers speak out
Sylvester Ocaatum, the Teso College, Aloet head teacher, says the Government needs to do a thorough study on the feasibility of the scheme. “We need to know how much will be paid per day or lesson,” he says. “It may be a good idea to stop absenteeism, but the Government should think more through it.”

Ernest Kavulu, the Buddo Junior School head teacher, predicts doom for schools if the Government adopts the scheme.

“The move will make absenteeism unavoidable. If a teacher misses class for more than five days in a month and realises that he can earn more from a small business, he will just quit and find an alternative job,” Kavulu says.

Teaching is more than classroom lessons
Otyek argues that a teacher is a builder whose role must not be limited to the classroom. “Teachers counsel weak students through remedial studies, nurture life and impart co-curricular skills,” he says. “If we choose only the classroom attendance, what happens to the other skills?”

This is enshrined in the Teachers’ Code of Conduct which states that a teacher should help a child develop in body, mind, character, soul and in personality.

Teachers’ body blames ministry for absenteeism
Margaret Rwabushaija, the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) chairperson, blames absenteeism on poor inspection saying some ministry inspectors take two years before visiting schools.

“When you do not supervise a maid at home, she will not clean under the beds and chairs,” she says. “Most education officials in districts are not being accountable.”

Rwabushaija also blames absenteeism on poor motivation. “The Government is just building more schools but doing very little about teachers welfare,” she says.

How some schools handle absenteeism
At Seeta High School, Mukono, a teacher who misses three lessons gets a verbal warning, says Davis Kafumbe, the head master.

“If one fails to change, his salary may be chopped or service terminated,” he says. “But in most cases, a teacher asks a colleague to stand-in for him. They also compensate for the lost time.”

Kavulu says teachers who repeatedly absent themselves from school are reprimanded.

“If he or she fails to change, we refer them back to the district for redeployment elsewhere,” he says. “But they know the privileges here are great so it (absenteeism) is not common.”
Government insists on new scheme
According to Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesman, there is a directorate in-charge of supervision to handle the new plan.

“I cannot ably comment on the when and how the (pay-per-day) scheme will be rolled out,” he says. “All I can say is that in our meeting and retreat, emphasis was put on strengthening inspection to curtail absenteeism.”

Namirembe Bitamazire, the education minister, says when it goes out of hand, a teacher will be scrapped off the payroll.

“Many teachers have taken it for granted that once you are on the payroll, you receive your salary even when you do not attend class,” she told a review workshop in Kampala recently.