Exodus to Rwanda: Why teachers of English are crossing over
Oct 12, 2010
WANTED: Teacher trainers in English. And being a Ugandan teacher of English is an added advantage. If you have these qualifications head to Rwanda.
By Doreen Murungi and
Arthur Baguma
WANTED: Teacher trainers in English. And being a Ugandan teacher of English is an added advantage. If you have these qualifications head to Rwanda. This seems to be the current talk in the circles of Uganda’s teachers of English. Perhaps it is not an illusion after all.
Rwanda’s education ministry urgently needs teacher trainers in English. The tutors, according to sources in the primary and secondary education department, are required to partially fill the manpower gap in the sector. The demand for Anglophone instructors in teacher training colleges and teachers of English in primary and secondary schools has been prompted by the country’s recent cabinet decision to have English as the only medium of instruction in schools.
This has led to an exodus of Ugandan teachers to Rwanda for teaching jobs. But education experts worry that this exodus may weigh down on the quality of education in Uganda as it could lead to a shortage of teachers of English in the country.
“We already have a huge problem of use of inappropriate language in schools. Text abbreviations and slang is common in students’ course work and exams. If this is compounded with a shortage of teachers of English, we could be headed for worse times,†says Edith Kyoheirwe, a retired teacher of English.
The Literature Fraternity of Uganda (LIFU), an association of English Language and Literature teachers has expressed concern about the same issue. Joseph Mugasa, a teacher of English who has taught since 1990 and chairs the association, says teachers of English are hard to get compared to other arts teachers.
Sometimes some schools look for a teacher of English and only get one after six months or never get at all. But it also depends on the school.
“If a school like Namagunga wants a teacher of English, they will get that teacher in a short time compared to a rural school, say in Kaabong,†Mugasa explains.
According to the association, many of the teachers who have trekked to other countries, have done so as individuals. However, last year there was a general call from Rwanda and they took Ugandan teachers as trainers of trainers for a month.
Recently, the Rwandan government again placed advertisements in Ugandan newspapers inviting applications from teachers of English.
Statistics
The number of students who do literature at A’level has steadily increased from over 2,500 in the early 1990s to over 5,000 last year.
Performance in literature in national exams hit its lowest in the 90s. Mugasa says between 1990 and 1997, these were the worst years of performance in English. In 1991 only two candidates scored A's in the country.
In 1992 there were only 2As and one in 1993. By then about 2,500 to 2,800 students sat for national exams.
After 1998, there was a slight improvement with the number of students scoring A increasing to over 10. By 2008, the number had increased with over 25 students registering A.
Last year, 5,357 candidates sat for literature in English and 3% of these got A, and 65.5% passed.
But this has not helped in curbing the shortage of teachers of English. Most students who do literature at high school opt not to do education at university. They opt for other lucrative courses like law and mass communication.
“This has also perpetuated the problem of passing out fewer literature teachers from higher institutions of learning,†says a source in the School of Education at Makerere University.
A decline has also been noticed at O’level. Last year, 212,331 students sat for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), but only 1.5% passed with a distinction and 47.9% had credits.
Public Service Commission speaks out
An official at the public service ministry said a number of teachers resign while others abandon duty. But many of them do not give reasons why they are leaving. It is only those joining politics who give reasons. So you might have a big number of teachers resigning but they cannot verify whether they are going to teach or to do other things.
“For example, some lie that they are resigning to go and join their husbands, it is not easy to verify who has resigned for what reason,†the source said.
But according to the education ministry the exodus of the teachers to Rwanda is an opportunity for teachers who cannot be put on the payroll.
“In Uganda we have more teachers than the Government can employ. Not all teachers can be put on the payroll. If Ugandan teachers are getting jobs outside the country, it should be seen as an opportunity, that our teachers are more competitive and the most preferred,†Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesperson, says.
Kibenge adds that this trend is one of the things the ministry ultimately craved for during negotiations for the common market. It is a question of market forces at work and it does not necessarily affect only teachers, but other professions.
Kibenge argues that the beauty of this is that the teachers are serving within the region. And this enhances our competitiveness globally as the East African Community regional body (EAC).
But critics still insist that this trend could be a time bomb for the education sector in Uganda.
“The teachers we are losing to Rwanda are the best in the market. They are leaving to look for greener pastures. Unless the Government looks into the problem of remunerating teachers, we shall have a problem where our teachers are ending up in neighbouring countries,†says Dan Mbazira, a teacher at Ssaku SSS in Luweero.
However, the education ministry insists that Uganda has continued to produce teachers from training institutions yet not all graduates can be employed.
“It is an opportunity for Uganda. It does not tantamount to brain drain. Ugandan teachers have a competitive advantage in English. This means more space is being created for Ugandan teachers graduating from training colleges,†says an official at the ministry.
Although the Ministry of Education acknowledges this exodus, it does not have any statistics on the number of teachers who could have crossed over to other countries over the years. But sources estimate it to be in hundreds over the last four years. John Kaddu, the head teacher Kawempe Royal College, says the demand for teachers has sucked in Senior Six leavers on vacation as well.
“I had a group of Senior Six vacists who told me they were heading to Rwanda to teach. The fact that this is happening shows you the seriousness of the demand of teachers in Rwanda,†says Kaddu.
What do you think will be the effect of the exodus of teachers of English from Uganda? Send your views to Mwalimu, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala Email: mwalimu@newvision.co.ug Or SMS your nomination: Type mwalimu [leave space] name of person, school, contact then send to 8338
Arthur Baguma
WANTED: Teacher trainers in English. And being a Ugandan teacher of English is an added advantage. If you have these qualifications head to Rwanda. This seems to be the current talk in the circles of Uganda’s teachers of English. Perhaps it is not an illusion after all.
Rwanda’s education ministry urgently needs teacher trainers in English. The tutors, according to sources in the primary and secondary education department, are required to partially fill the manpower gap in the sector. The demand for Anglophone instructors in teacher training colleges and teachers of English in primary and secondary schools has been prompted by the country’s recent cabinet decision to have English as the only medium of instruction in schools.
This has led to an exodus of Ugandan teachers to Rwanda for teaching jobs. But education experts worry that this exodus may weigh down on the quality of education in Uganda as it could lead to a shortage of teachers of English in the country.
“We already have a huge problem of use of inappropriate language in schools. Text abbreviations and slang is common in students’ course work and exams. If this is compounded with a shortage of teachers of English, we could be headed for worse times,†says Edith Kyoheirwe, a retired teacher of English.
The Literature Fraternity of Uganda (LIFU), an association of English Language and Literature teachers has expressed concern about the same issue. Joseph Mugasa, a teacher of English who has taught since 1990 and chairs the association, says teachers of English are hard to get compared to other arts teachers.
Sometimes some schools look for a teacher of English and only get one after six months or never get at all. But it also depends on the school.
“If a school like Namagunga wants a teacher of English, they will get that teacher in a short time compared to a rural school, say in Kaabong,†Mugasa explains.
According to the association, many of the teachers who have trekked to other countries, have done so as individuals. However, last year there was a general call from Rwanda and they took Ugandan teachers as trainers of trainers for a month.
Recently, the Rwandan government again placed advertisements in Ugandan newspapers inviting applications from teachers of English.
Statistics
The number of students who do literature at A’level has steadily increased from over 2,500 in the early 1990s to over 5,000 last year.
Performance in literature in national exams hit its lowest in the 90s. Mugasa says between 1990 and 1997, these were the worst years of performance in English. In 1991 only two candidates scored A's in the country.
In 1992 there were only 2As and one in 1993. By then about 2,500 to 2,800 students sat for national exams.
After 1998, there was a slight improvement with the number of students scoring A increasing to over 10. By 2008, the number had increased with over 25 students registering A.
Last year, 5,357 candidates sat for literature in English and 3% of these got A, and 65.5% passed.
But this has not helped in curbing the shortage of teachers of English. Most students who do literature at high school opt not to do education at university. They opt for other lucrative courses like law and mass communication.
“This has also perpetuated the problem of passing out fewer literature teachers from higher institutions of learning,†says a source in the School of Education at Makerere University.
A decline has also been noticed at O’level. Last year, 212,331 students sat for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), but only 1.5% passed with a distinction and 47.9% had credits.
Public Service Commission speaks out
An official at the public service ministry said a number of teachers resign while others abandon duty. But many of them do not give reasons why they are leaving. It is only those joining politics who give reasons. So you might have a big number of teachers resigning but they cannot verify whether they are going to teach or to do other things.
“For example, some lie that they are resigning to go and join their husbands, it is not easy to verify who has resigned for what reason,†the source said.
But according to the education ministry the exodus of the teachers to Rwanda is an opportunity for teachers who cannot be put on the payroll.
“In Uganda we have more teachers than the Government can employ. Not all teachers can be put on the payroll. If Ugandan teachers are getting jobs outside the country, it should be seen as an opportunity, that our teachers are more competitive and the most preferred,†Aggrey Kibenge, the education ministry spokesperson, says.
Kibenge adds that this trend is one of the things the ministry ultimately craved for during negotiations for the common market. It is a question of market forces at work and it does not necessarily affect only teachers, but other professions.
Kibenge argues that the beauty of this is that the teachers are serving within the region. And this enhances our competitiveness globally as the East African Community regional body (EAC).
But critics still insist that this trend could be a time bomb for the education sector in Uganda.
“The teachers we are losing to Rwanda are the best in the market. They are leaving to look for greener pastures. Unless the Government looks into the problem of remunerating teachers, we shall have a problem where our teachers are ending up in neighbouring countries,†says Dan Mbazira, a teacher at Ssaku SSS in Luweero.
However, the education ministry insists that Uganda has continued to produce teachers from training institutions yet not all graduates can be employed.
“It is an opportunity for Uganda. It does not tantamount to brain drain. Ugandan teachers have a competitive advantage in English. This means more space is being created for Ugandan teachers graduating from training colleges,†says an official at the ministry.
Although the Ministry of Education acknowledges this exodus, it does not have any statistics on the number of teachers who could have crossed over to other countries over the years. But sources estimate it to be in hundreds over the last four years. John Kaddu, the head teacher Kawempe Royal College, says the demand for teachers has sucked in Senior Six leavers on vacation as well.
“I had a group of Senior Six vacists who told me they were heading to Rwanda to teach. The fact that this is happening shows you the seriousness of the demand of teachers in Rwanda,†says Kaddu.
What do you think will be the effect of the exodus of teachers of English from Uganda? Send your views to Mwalimu, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala Email: mwalimu@newvision.co.ug Or SMS your nomination: Type mwalimu [leave space] name of person, school, contact then send to 8338