By Nicholas Aharizira
The former director of the Directorate of education standards Mrs. Kedress Turyagyenda has challenged heads of learning institutions to fight against teachers’ absenteeism as the government is looking forward to ending learners’ failure to excel.
She said this on Tuesday while addressing both primary and secondary school headteachers of Rukungiri district in a meeting that was aimed at briefing them on how to use Smartphones to report directly to the Ministry of Education and Sports under the Teacher Effectiveness and Learner Achievement program.
Kedress attributed the poor performance in government schools to the high level of teachers’ absenteeism, noting that it has been hard for headteachers to stop the vice leading to the introduction of smartphones.
Turyangyenda says these smartphones are connected to the system in the ministry making it easy for authorities to know, follow up and penalize teachers who are victims of absenteeism.
Agaba David Hillary the Rukungiri deputy Chief administrative officer, hailed the Ministry of Education and Sports for introducing the system through which authorities will know teachers that are letting down education standards.
He vowed to continue adding efforts to ensure that teachers’ absenteeism is no more in Rukungiri through monitoring.
Emmanuel Kirakurate the head teacher of Omurusheshe primary school in Buhunga sub-county Rukungiri district revealed that they have been struggling to fight teachers’ absenteeism as some used to disobey them.
He, therefore, hailed authorities in the Ministry of Education and Sports for introducing a system that will always help school authorities to directly report to the ministry.
Geoffrey Kyomukama the Rukungiri district chairperson asked head teachers to embrace the Teacher’s Effectiveness and Learner’s Achievements program with courtesy since it targets to alter education standards in government schools.
Rukungiri head teachers received these smartphones on 6th March 2023.
