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In Uganda, around 25 per cent of teachers are absent on any given day, and less than 50 per cent of their time is spent on teaching. The shortage of qualified teachers impacts nearly 250 million children around the world. Image Credit: Dubai Cares

Dubai: A three-year programme costing Dh4.47 million and aimed at enhancing skills of 17,000 teachers across 66 districts of Uganda was launched by Dubai Cares to mark the World Teacher’s Day on Wednesday.

 
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The programme, titled ‘Teacher Changemaker’, aims to increase teacher motivation, improve teaching practice, and enhance student learning in addition to rebuilding the teaching profession and improving learning levels for students in Uganda.

The World Teachers’ Day was launched by Unesco in 1994 to celebrate the role of teachers in society and is celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide.

The programme which has been launched in partnership with the group, Schools and Teachers Innovating for Results (STIR), will indirectly benefit over 988,000 students across Uganda and enhance their learning outcomes in the long-term.

Speaking on the launch of this new programme in Uganda, Tareq Al Gurg, chief executive officer of Dubai Cares, said: “At Dubai Cares, we believe that improved teacher motivation leads to more effective teaching practice, which, in turn, results in better learning outcomes among students.' 

"With the launch of the ‘Teacher Changemaker’ programme, we aim to bring back the intrinsic motivation of teaching to Uganda by building a mass teacher-led movement for change from within the existing system. Supporting motivated, skillful and influential practitioners will certainly create motivated and influential future leaders,” he added.

The shortage of qualified teachers impacts nearly 250 million children around the world. In Uganda alone, around 25 per cent teachers are absent on any given day, and less than 50 per cent of their time is spent on teaching.

Research indicates that Ugandan teachers lack the right support system to improve quality of teaching in classrooms, hence, they feel demotivated.

Mada Al Suwaidi, programme manager at Dubai Cares, said: “Through our partnership with STIR Education, we hope to improve the quality of education and ensure long-term and sustainable impact. By 2020, our mission is to build a 17,000 solid teacher-led movement and improve the educational level of around one million students throughout Uganda.”