By Godwin Abedican

Arua

Following a two years’ research study carried out by the Ministry of Education and Sports, supported by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it was discovered that there are a number of loopholes in the education system especially to do with the statistics and data about the teachers across the country.

The study recommended among others the countrywide verification of teachers to establish the authenticity of those on the payroll. This therefore led to the ministry organizing a one day capacity building for District Education Officers (DEOs) and other key education stakeholders across the region of West Nile on Monday 7^th august 2023 at desert Breeze Hotel Arua city, to enable them help the teachers register on the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS)

While opening the training for the education officers that was to be succeeded by the commencement of the registration of the teachers the following day, Raymond Ombere Obiayi, Arua city education officer says, this system has been very helpful in addressing the gaps between the ministry and education officers. “Once the district education leaders are not reading on the same page with the ministry, we will be sure that on the ground, mobilization for an intervention becomes very difficult.

The DEO is the pillar that helps to mobilize to make sure that the teachers who are supposed to be registered are registered. And I want to report to you that, so far TMIS has helped us a lot as Local Governments to make sure that at least now, those cases where people used to forge documents in order to be recruited as teachers is getting lost.

At least now we know the people we are recruiting in the system are really those people who pass through the system because TMIS registration certificate is now a must and that certificate cannot easily be forged,” Ombere said.

 
Raymond Ombere Obiayi- Arua city education officer while opening the orientation
 
Rogan Matsiko an ICT officer at the MOES encourages the teachers to embrace the registration as it serves as a vital tool for them during service as well as in future.

He says, the system is integrated into the education service commission and the Human Resource System of the Ministry of Education for appointment and deployment, adding that, by the time of appointment or probation, the education service is able to verify if the teacher is registered and at the exit from service to be able to help in the process of pension or other services.

Moses Bateganya, principal Technical and Vocational Education Training who represented the commissioner of Teacher Education Training and Development during the capacity building calls upon the DEOs to ensure the national teacher policy is fully implemented in all the districts across the region “It was realized that we don’t have the data concerning the teachers in the country, where even at the district level you are able to click and get the teacher that you want and verify this teacher, he or she is the rightful teacher. We never had that information and therefore the ministry is in full swing of implementing the national teacher policy,” he said.

According to him, if successfully dome this can help in the management of issues to do with teachers in the entire country.


Moses Bateganya, principal Technical and Vocational Education Training speaking to the participants

The training brought together all the DEOs across the West Nile region who were taken through the practical application of knowledge on the registration of teachers and are expected to be of help such that teachers don’t travel to Kampala for the same.

COVER PHOTO: The stakeholders in a group photo after the training By Godwin Abedican