Zombo, (UG): The newly launched Zombo District Teachers Welfare Association (ZODITWA) is expected to harvest about 36 million shillings annually from its members in a bid to improve the lives of teachers in the district.
During the 2023 World Teacher’s Day celebrations held Thursday, October 05at Zombo Lower Primary School in Zombo District, the association said the 36m projection is expected to raise from the annual membership fees of shs30,000 targeting about 1200 teachers (primary, secondary and tertiary institutions) who are all expected to enrol as members of the association.
DailyExpress established that the inaugurated association is purposely meant to address the social and economic well-being of members of the association with the most outstanding motive of providing benefits and descent send-off of deceased members of the association.
The teachers have been decrying inadequate support to meet the burial expenses of their colleagues who die while in and out of service, and in most cases, the below-board funeral arrangements generate scathing verbal attacks on the profession that is viewed as role models that shape dreams and aspirations of the community members hence the notion that ‘teachers are very poor people.’
During the launch of the association, Mr Joseph Ngomupong, the Chairperson of the Primary School Headteachers Association told DailyExpress that the association will help to execute the burial of members.
“We have never been supported by any organization, if one dies we came together to see how we can best bury ourselves,” Mr Ngomupong remarked
Mr Gibrel Oryekwun, a teacher at Paidha secondary school wondered at the essence of the teacher’s day if some teachers still go to class instead of joining their fellows in observing their recognition day.
“It is World Teachers Day, but some teachers are in class. What day is that? A national day should be declared a public holiday everyone is supposed to go for the celebration,” Oryekwun told DailyExpress.
World Teachers Day recognizes the services of teachers as a prime push factor for development by nurturing the human resources that provide labour and advocates for the welfare of teachers across the globe.
The 2023 World Teachers Day focused on the theme, “The teachers we need for education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage “ and for the very first time attracted many teachers for the district celebration and the inauguration of the association.
The tagline of the Zombo District Teachers Welfare Association is “Life is precious but short, together we support the end.”
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