By Ambrose Kweronda
www.mknewslink.com
In Kabale—-
Educational stakeholders in the Kigezi Region have called on the government to address the shortage of nursery school teachers in Uganda.
The call was made on Thursday by Immaculate Agaba, the Managing Director and Founder of Tendo Children’s Centre, during an engagement between education stakeholders, security officers and political leaders from Kigezi.
The event was held at the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE), Kabale Campus in Kabale Municipality.
The educationist noted that the number of teachers joining the nursery education sector is declining, a situation that could negatively affect the quality of early childhood education and the development of learners at a critical stage of their education.
Immaculate Agaba, the Managing Director and Founder of Tendo Children’s Centre Early Childhood and Development Centre, said the sector is facing growing challenges because nursery teaching is no longer widely regarded as a professional career.
Agaba said many students are no longer interested in pursuing nursery teaching, yet the country needs qualified teachers to provide a strong foundation for learners.
She warned that without a strong foundation in nursery education, Uganda could face difficulties in developing its education sector in the future.
Agaba called for greater recognition of nursery teachers as professionals and urged the government and other education stakeholders to invest more in early childhood education.
Boaz Gumoshabe, a student at Bubaare Secondary School, said teachers are increasingly concerned about salaries, noting that nursery and primary school teachers earn less than their counterparts in secondary schools and workers in other sectors.
Namanya Sonya, a student at Hornby High School, said nursery teaching is undermined by the low salaries paid to teachers at that level compared to those teaching at higher levels of education.
The UNITE Kabale Academic Registrar, Gloria Akatukunda, warned the public against discouraging the younger generation by telling them that there is no money in the teaching profession.
The Kabale District Education Officer, Moses Bwengye Tumwijukye, said there is a shortage of nursery and primary school teachers because Primary Teachers’ Colleges have not admitted new students since 2022 following the introduction of the new teacher policy.
Tumwijukye said the government is planning to introduce the same salary scale for teachers holding bachelor’s degrees in education, regardless of whether they teach at nursery, primary or secondary school level.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Students at UNITE Kabale Campus, Annet Komunda, called upon school directors, teachers and parents to properly guide students when choosing A-Level combinations, ensuring that their subject choices align with the courses they intend to pursue at university.
Komunda emphasized the importance of helping students make informed decisions by considering their career aspirations and the university programmes they hope to pursue after completing secondary school.
She said some students have faced challenges during university admissions because, despite performing well academically in Senior Six, the A-Level combinations they selected do not qualify them for their preferred university courses.
Komunda explained that some education programmes require students to have two relevant principal subjects, while certain language programmes may require only one relevant principal subject. However, some students discover during university admission that their combinations do not meet the requirements for their preferred courses.
She urged teachers and school directors to properly guide students when selecting A-Level subjects and to help them understand the connection between their subject choices, career aspirations and the university programmes they will be eligible to pursue.
Faith Rwegyemera, a former tutor, said she had witnessed several transitions of the institution, from a Teacher Training Centre (TTC) to a National Teachers’ College (NTC) and now to UNITE Kabale Campus.
Rwegyemera said this was the first time she had witnessed different stakeholders brought together to share their views, describing the initiative as a welcome development.