Kamuli, Uganda: The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has retooled headteachers in Kamuli District on mental health and psycho-social support to help them cope with increasing stress and workplace pressures in schools.
Speaking at a one-day workshop held at Bugabula Guest House, UNATU Secretary General Mr. Filbert Baguma said the training was necessary because teachers and school heads continue to face overwhelming challenges, including financial constraints and policy restrictions.
“The money government sends to schools is inadequate, yet it says don’t charge money. If the headteacher charges, he will be handcuffed. These issues are making pressure on headteachers. That is why we give them some bit of knowledge about mental health and psycho-social support,” Baguma explained.
Baguma also cautioned against the mushrooming of multiple teachers’ unions, saying divisions weaken the teaching profession. He attributed the rise of splinter groups to government discrimination, especially in salary disparities between science and arts teachers.
“It’s true quite a number of unions have been registered starting from when government started discriminating among teachers. However, we as UNATU still stand for all teachers regardless of what they teach or where they teach. We condemn all voices of discrimination because it affects learners, parents, guardians and teachers,” he emphasized.
Mr Baguma further rallied teachers to remain united: “A call to the teachers is to know that we need to unite more than ever. When you have a challenge ahead of you, it is only fair to yourself to unite and put your heads together to confront it rather than be split into smaller groups that may be neglected at any time.”
Kamuli District Education Officer Mr. Waibi Joseph appealed to UNATU to lobby for an increase in Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) funding.
“The problem is that UPE and USE money is too low and it is distributed in three quarters, unlike in other government departments. I urge UNATU to intervene to solve the problem,” Waibi said.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
