Govt to build more teachers houses
Sep 06, 2010
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said the NRM Government policy is to put emphasis on mass education to improve literacy levels among Ugandans as opposed to education for a few elites.
By Vision Reporter
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said the NRM Government policy is to put emphasis on mass education to improve literacy levels among Ugandans as opposed to education for a few elites.
According to a statement from State House, the President made the remarks recently at State House Entebbe, where he met the executive council of the Uganda Teachers’ Union. The union has 80,000 members.
The meeting was also attended by education minister Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire.
The President told his guests that the Government would increase finance allocations to the education sector to enable the construction of teachers’ houses.
He said it had increased the number of permanent classrooms from 28,000 in 1986 to 82,000 today.
Museveni added that the Government would continue increasing teachers’ salaries as long as the economy continues improving.
In this year’s budget, the Government announced a 30% increment on salaries of scientists, primary school teachers, lower cadre health workers and security forces as a way of improving service delivery.
The President pledged support to the teachers in their efforts to establish savings and credit cooperatives to access cheap loans.
He agreed to the teachers’ request to launch the Presidential Educators of Excellency Award, as a way of motivating good performers.
Commenting on the wellbeing of pupils at school, the President urged the teachers to sensitise parents on the need to provide lunch for their children.
In their memorandum, the delegation requested the Government for an increase in the per capita contribution towards Universal Primary Education.
They said there was need to invest more in teachers, and also urged the Government to increase school inspections.
Recently, the Government announced plans to recruit 9,549 primary school teachers.
The move will increase the number of primary teachers on the Government payroll from 124,630 to 134,179.
Last financial year, 5,860 primary school teachers missed joining Government service due to insufficient funds.
Reports from the education ministry indicate that many qualified primary school teachers are on contract basis.
The ministry said local governments failed to recruit teachers as per the set staff quotas. Of the 130,630 teachers who were supposed to be recruited by the end of last financial year, only 124,630 got jobs.
To resolve the matter, the Government will, beginning next financial year, allocate a minimum of seven teachers per primary school, and additional teachers based on enrollment.
Recruitment of teachers is one of the Government’s key priorities, according to a budget framework paper presented during the annual review.
This is partly attributed to the increase in the enrolment of pupils in schools under the free education programme. There are about 8,000,000 under the UPE programme.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said the NRM Government policy is to put emphasis on mass education to improve literacy levels among Ugandans as opposed to education for a few elites.
According to a statement from State House, the President made the remarks recently at State House Entebbe, where he met the executive council of the Uganda Teachers’ Union. The union has 80,000 members.
The meeting was also attended by education minister Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire.
The President told his guests that the Government would increase finance allocations to the education sector to enable the construction of teachers’ houses.
He said it had increased the number of permanent classrooms from 28,000 in 1986 to 82,000 today.
Museveni added that the Government would continue increasing teachers’ salaries as long as the economy continues improving.
In this year’s budget, the Government announced a 30% increment on salaries of scientists, primary school teachers, lower cadre health workers and security forces as a way of improving service delivery.
The President pledged support to the teachers in their efforts to establish savings and credit cooperatives to access cheap loans.
He agreed to the teachers’ request to launch the Presidential Educators of Excellency Award, as a way of motivating good performers.
Commenting on the wellbeing of pupils at school, the President urged the teachers to sensitise parents on the need to provide lunch for their children.
In their memorandum, the delegation requested the Government for an increase in the per capita contribution towards Universal Primary Education.
They said there was need to invest more in teachers, and also urged the Government to increase school inspections.
Recently, the Government announced plans to recruit 9,549 primary school teachers.
The move will increase the number of primary teachers on the Government payroll from 124,630 to 134,179.
Last financial year, 5,860 primary school teachers missed joining Government service due to insufficient funds.
Reports from the education ministry indicate that many qualified primary school teachers are on contract basis.
The ministry said local governments failed to recruit teachers as per the set staff quotas. Of the 130,630 teachers who were supposed to be recruited by the end of last financial year, only 124,630 got jobs.
To resolve the matter, the Government will, beginning next financial year, allocate a minimum of seven teachers per primary school, and additional teachers based on enrollment.
Recruitment of teachers is one of the Government’s key priorities, according to a budget framework paper presented during the annual review.
This is partly attributed to the increase in the enrolment of pupils in schools under the free education programme. There are about 8,000,000 under the UPE programme.