On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has launched a three-year program aimed at enhancing the skills of 17,000 teachers across 66 districts in Uganda. The program titled ‘Teacher Changemaker’, aims to increase teacher motivation, improve teaching practice, and enhance student learning in addition to rebuilding the teaching profession and improving learning levels for students in Uganda. 

The AED 4.47 million (USD 1.2 million) program, launched in partnership with “Schools and Teachers Innovating for Results (STIR)”, will indirectly benefit over 988,000 students across Uganda and enhance their learning outcomes in the long-term. 

The ‘Teacher Changemaker’ program also aims at forming teacher changemaker networks, or active communities of local teachers, to exchange skills and knowledge, essential to develop the educational system and enhance the existing learning environment. Furthermore, the program supports teachers through developing their skills, enabling a healthier teaching environment, and encouraging the exchange of knowledge.

Speaking on the launch of this new program in Uganda, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares said: “At Dubai Cares, we believe that improved teacher motivation leads to more effective teaching practice, which in turn, results in better learning outcomes among students. With the launch of the ‘Teacher Changemaker’ program, we aim to bring back the intrinsic motivation of teaching to Uganda by building a mass teacher-led movement for change from within the existing system. Supporting motivated, skillful and influential practitioners will certainly create motivated and influential future leaders.”

Two hundred and fifty million children of primary school age around the world cannot read or write, with the shortage of qualified teachers being a major contributing factor. Around 25% of Ugandan teachers are absent on any given day, and less than 50% of their time is spent on teaching. Based on research, Ugandan teachers lack the right support system to improve quality of teaching in classrooms, hence, the feel of demotivation.

“Through our partnership with STIR Education, we hope to improve the quality of education and ensure long-term and sustainable impact. By 2020, our mission is to build a 17,000 solid teacher-led movement and improve the educational level of around 1 million students throughout Uganda,” said Mada Al Suwaidi, Program Manager at Dubai Cares. 

The World Teachers’ Day was launched by UNESCO in 1994 to celebrate the role of teachers in society and is celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide. Today, tens of millions of teachers in the current workforce are far too often under-qualified, poorly paid and struggle with low socio-economic status. Dubai Cares draws the public’s attention to the important role of trained teachers in communities where learning has the potential to change the future of children and nations.