By URN
Kikuube District is facing an acute shortage of primary school teachers, severely impacting the quality of education in the area. The district, which is home to 74 government-aided primary schools, currently has only 720 teachers, well below the required 1,350 teachers, leaving a gap of 630 educators.
Amon Zondera, the Kikuube District Inspector of Schools, explains that the shortage is particularly critical, with most schools struggling to cope with a large number of students. He attributes the shortage to various factors, including teacher retirements, deaths, and a lack of replacements.
Additionally, many teachers posted to the district leave within a few months due to poor social amenities, such as inadequate access to clean water, healthcare, and transportation. Zondera has called on the government to consider setting a staffing ceiling that reflects the district’s pupil enrollment to improve educational outcomes.
Deogratius Byakagaba, the Kikuube District Education Officer (DEO), has expressed concern that the shortage of teachers is contributing to poor learner performance. He has urged the government to intervene and recruit more teachers to fill the gaps in the district.
Mbabazi Talemwa, a parent and resident of Bugambe Sub-County, says the few teachers remaining in the district are overworked as they try to cover classes with no staff. He also appealed to the government to prioritize Kikuube in teacher recruitment efforts.
Gilbert Akonyera, a resident of Kyangwali Sub-County, echoed similar concerns, stating that the teacher shortage has severely hindered education service delivery in the district.
The shortage of teachers has also been linked to the district’s poor performance in the recent Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Out of 4,259 candidates, 363 completely failed the exams. The remaining candidates performed as follows: 250 in Division One, 2,046 in Division Two, 1,018 in Division Three, and 449 in Division Four. Additionally, 133 candidates who had registered for the exams failed to show up. The statistics also show that 2,152 girls sat for the exams, compared to 2,107 boys. Among those who excelled in Division One, 148 boys and 102 girls were among the top performers.
