A teacher in class/courtesy photo
The Ministry of Education and Sports, has dropped the proposal to impose both internship and teachers practice on students training to become teachers.
The status quo (school/teachers practice) will instead be maintained.
Government’s latest position was revealed by Brighton Barugahare, the Assistant Commissioner Policy Analysis at the Ministry of Education and Sports while appearing before Parliament’s Education Committee to respond to the various questions and concerns raised by various stakeholders during the consideration of the National Teachers Bill, 2024.
“While internship and school practice are different in meaning and practice, Government agrees to drop this requirement due to practicability concerns which were raised and were extensively discussed in meetings,” said Barugahare.
It should be recalled that in August 2024, the Ministry of Education and Sports, tabled before Parliament the National Teachers’ Bill, 2024 and in one of the numerous proposals, Government sought to be given exclusive rights to post all students seeking to train as teachers in Uganda for internship, despite the glaring failure the policy is facing in the health sector.
The proposal was contained in clause 3 (2) of the Third Schedule of the Bill in which the Ministry proposed; “The Ministry shall be responsible for the placement and posting of persons undertaking the internship programme” and goes further to propose in clause 5 (2) that; “A person who intends to undertake internship shall apply to the Ministry for placement.”
Abdul Mutumba (Kiboga East) commended the Ministry of Education for listening to the concerns raised by stakeholders but sought clarification on what would replace internship practice.
“I appreciate the Minister that this time around, he heard the voices of the Committee especially on this other question to do with clauses 29 and 41 where they are dropping internship. Apart from informing the Committee what they had proposed, what have you provided for because you can’t just drop without the Bill stating, are we going with teachers practice?” asked Mutumba.
Kedrace Turyagyenda, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education replied, “We should have comprehensive school practice that will enable teachers come out with the prerequisite competences to be effective teachers and one of the practical way of doing it was to start school practice in in first year so that they do it for the three years.”
According to the Ministry of Education, internship training for teachers was meant to run for 12months and this would only take place in accredited education institutions, where the Head Teachers would be charged with supervising the intern teachers.
