Education Ministry to restart degree requirement for teachers

By Charles Katabalwa

23^rd March 2023

The Ministry of Education and Sport has decided to restart the countdown for all teachers to get degrees.

The government in 2019 passed a national teacher policy which among other things phased out lower teaching qualifications in preference for bachelor’s degree for all teachers right from nursery saying this could boost the quality of teachers and later quality of education in the country.

The policy set a period of ten years within which all teachers both in public and private schools had to attain a degree or else leave the profession.

The countdown began and 2030 had been marked as the cut off year.

Now according to the information from the Ministry of Education it has been concluded that it may not be possible to meet the set deadline as previously expected as they convened during the ministry’s recent retreat at the National Leadership Institute- Kyankwazi.

From 2019 to date, there are several challenges and encounters that have limited the ministry from effectively implementing the policy.

For instance, teachers couldn’t go back to teaching institutions to upgrade in 2020, 2021 as education institutions were closed (due to COVID19),” they noted.

Dr. Denis Mugimba, the ministry spokesperson has confirmed the development saying that soon the minister will be coming out to address the nation regarding the subject but also they are looking at removing the ten-year ultimatum that was passed in the policy to make the attainment of degree for teachers flexible.