Teacher absenteeism in Namutumba District has reached crisis levels, with 270 teachers missing from school each day-an entrenched problem officials say is crippling learning and driving chronic failure in national examinations.
A new report titled ‘Are Our Children Learning?’ by Uwezo Uganda and the Nsinze Sub-county HIV/AIDS Workers Association (NSHAWA) shows that 18 percent of the district’s 1,500 teachers are absent daily, despite the installation of an automated attendance system meant to curb the vice.
The report says some school administrators and teachers have ‘deliberately disengaged’ from the system.
Namutumba, which has at least 109 primary schools serving about 123,000 children, faces a pupil-teacher ratio far above national targets.
At a district public dialogue in Kaiti on Thursday, officials warned that the persistent absenteeism is leaving children without basic competencies.
Mr Simon Muwuliza, the District Education Officer in charge of Special Needs Education, said the problem is longstanding and tied to poor exam results. ‘Even though they might be present in the school, today’s digital teachers are coming out of colleges when a big number of them don’t know how to teach, prepare a lesson plan, or scheme work,’ he said. ‘This hinders children from attaining the expected competencies by the time they sit for their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).’
He said absenteeism will not improve without addressing underlying causes such as inspections and welfare. ‘The lack of provision for teachers’ basic needs lowers motivation and makes it difficult for teachers to attend school regularly,’ he said.
District Internal Security Officer Mr Gilbert Ninsiima said Namutumba now ranks highest in daily teacher absenteeism.
‘Out of 1,500 teachers, only 1,230 come to school every day in a district with the largest pupil-to-teacher ratio of 145:1,’ he said.
He blamed inspectors and head teachers for failing to supervise schools.
‘This means inspectors of schools are not doing their job. all 109 head teachers in government primary schools aren’t coming to school every day,’ he noted.
Mr Aggrey Lugenyi, head teacher of Upper Primary School, said many lower-primary teachers lack basic skills.
‘Sometimes we wonder if the digital teachers who get jobs in Namutumba actually passed through teachers’ training colleges; some lack the basics of a good teacher,’ he explained.
Mr Nathan Nkenga, Executive Director of NSHAWA, said tackling absenteeism requires identifying its root causes.
‘Because most causes are intertwined, solutions can’t be applied individually if we want tangible results,’ he said.
Teachers cited low pay, poor working conditions and overwhelming class sizes as reasons for staying away. One unnamed teacher said many colleagues have ‘lost their passion for teaching,’ accusing head teachers of being frequently absent and preoccupied with private businesses.
Parents say the situation worsened after Covid-19. According to Sarah Nangobi, some teachers ‘only go to school twice a week but spend the rest of the day farming.’
Ugandan education authorities were yet to react on the report by press time on Tuesday afternoon.