On World Teachers’ Day 2026, the Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (UPSTU) joins teachers, education stakeholders and the global community in celebrating the contribution of teachers to the development of individuals, communities and nations. This year is especially significant as the world marks 60 years of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, under the theme: “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures.”
For UPSTU, standing with teachers must mean more than celebrating them once a year. It must mean creating the conditions in which teachers can teach with confidence and dignity, access continuous learning, innovate, participate in decisions affecting their profession, earn a fair livelihood and build healthy and fulfilling careers.
1. The Status of the Teacher Matters
A country’s education system cannot rise above the conditions in which its teachers work. Teacher status is not only about salary. It includes how society values teachers, the professional voice and autonomy they enjoy, opportunities for continuous development, respect for their expertise, and working conditions that allow them to perform effectively.
In Uganda, these issues are becoming more urgent as teachers navigate competence-based education, new assessment approaches, digital technologies and artificial intelligence, inclusion, changing learner needs and growing expectations for practical, project-based and problem-solving learning. Professional expectations must be accompanied by professional support.
2. A Response to Today’s Call for Teachers to Drive the Economy
Today’s World Teachers’ Day coverage in the news carries a strong message: “Teachers asked to drive economy.” – in which government has called upon teachers to evolve and align with the demands of Vision 2040, modern education shaped by technology, new skills and generation of learners. UPSTU welcomes the recognition that teachers are central to Uganda’s human-capital and economic transformation agenda. Teachers prepare the engineers, scientists, health professionals, entrepreneurs, technicians, innovators and leaders who will drive the economy.
However, if Uganda expects teachers to produce a skilled, innovative and productive generation, then the country must invest in the teacher who produces that generation. This means adequate staffing, manageable workloads, laboratories and teaching resources, continuous professional development, digital tools, supportive leadership, fair remuneration and a professional environment in which teachers can thrive.
Our message is simple: IF TEACHERS ARE EXPECTED TO DRIVE THE ECONOMY, TEACHERS MUST BE PLACED AT THE CENTRE OF THE INVESTMENT IN HUMAN CAPITAL. The quality of the future workforce will reflect the quality of the conditions under which teachers work today.
3. Teacher Education Reform: Professionalization Must be Built on Capacity, Quality and Consultation
We have taken note of the current national debate on the proposed reform of teacher education, including the Ministry’s position that teacher education will eventually be consolidated under the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE). Government has explained that the reform is intended to address differences in how universities train teachers and to strengthen professionalism and consistency in teacher preparation.
UPSTU supports the legitimate objective of strengthening teacher education, professional standards and the quality of teacher preparation. However, a reform of this magnitude must be guided by evidence, adequate capacity, wide consultation and a clear transition framework. Stakeholders have already raised concerns about whether one institution can absorb the full national demand for teacher training and have called for wider stakeholder consultation.
Our position is that the central question should not simply be who trains teachers, but how Uganda can train enough teachers, to a high and consistent standard, in the right subjects, with strong school practice, research and continuous professional development. The reform must not unintentionally reduce the supply of teachers at a time when the country still needs more qualified professionals, particularly in science.
UNITE can play an important role in setting professional direction, coordinating standards and strengthening teacher education. At the same time, the expertise, infrastructure, laboratories, lecturers and research capacity already existing in universities should be considered as part of the national teacher-education ecosystem. Collaboration, benchmarking, quality assurance and clear standards may deliver more than simply separating institutions. Recent reporting has also highlighted concerns about UNITE’s capacity to absorb the growing demand for teacher education.
We therefore call for meaningful consultation with teachers, teacher organisations, universities, UNITE, students and other education stakeholders before major implementation decisions are finalised. A teacher-education reform should strengthen the profession without creating new capacity gaps.
4. Professional Development and the Teacher of the Future
Professional status is strengthened when teachers can continue learning throughout their careers. Through initiatives such as the UPSTU ProDev Hour and other capacity-building activities, teachers have opportunities to learn, exchange experiences and engage specialists on classroom practice and professional life. UPSTU also continues to advocate for regular engagement with MoES, NCDC, UNEB, ministry responsible for labour and gender matters. Professional development must become a normal part of professional life, not an occasional event.
Technology and artificial intelligence are changing how teachers prepare lessons, access resources, communicate, assess learners and collaborate. Digital competence must therefore become part of modern teacher professionalism. But technology must support—not replace or diminish—the teacher. Teachers should be equipped to use emerging technologies responsibly while remaining central to decisions about their use in education.
5. Standing with Teachers Means Listening to Teachers
As Uganda undertakes curriculum, assessment, teacher-education and digital reforms, teachers must not be treated merely as implementers of decisions made elsewhere. They are professionals with first-hand knowledge of what works in classrooms. Their voice must be present when reforms are designed, implemented, evaluated and improved.
On this World Teachers’ Day, UPSTU therefore calls for a stronger culture of social dialogue in education—one in which Government, teacher organisations, school leaders, universities, learners, parents, development partners and the private sector work together to strengthen the teaching profession and improve learning outcomes.
6. Teacher Wellbeing Must Keep Pace with Growing Demand
One of the clearest issues emerging in science education is the growing demand for science learning. Recent reports indicate that A-Level science enrolment has more than tripled in a number of schools over the last three years. This is encouraging: it shows growing interest in science and strengthens Uganda’s prospects for developing the scientific and technical skills needed for national transformation. But growth in enrolment must be matched by growth in teacher capacity.
Larger science classes bring greater demands for lesson preparation, practical work, laboratory supervision, assessment, marking, projects and extracurricular activities. We therefore call for adequate recruitment and deployment of science teachers, manageable teacher–learner ratios, sufficient laboratories and teaching resources, psychosocial support and continuing professional development. Expanding participation in science must go hand in hand with protecting teachers’ health, dignity, motivation and professional wellbeing.
7. From Teaching Knowledge to Creating Solutions
The teacher must be supported not only to deliver knowledge, but also to cultivate innovation. In 2025, UPSTU piloted the National Science Innovation Projects Competition, aligned with project work under the competence-based curriculum. The initiative demonstrated how teachers can guide learners to apply science to real-life challenges while developing creativity, critical thinking, research and problem-solving. UPSTU calls for stronger collaboration among Government, schools, universities, development partners, the private sector and teacher organisations to expand opportunities for research, experimentation and innovation.
8. A Stronger Profession Requires Stronger Solidarity
UPSTU exists to provide a collective voice for science teachers, advocate for their rights and welfare, promote professional standards and advance science education. Our professional development activities, Members’ SACCO, legal and welfare support, gender and youth programmes, innovation initiatives and partnerships all contribute to this mission. Through the SACCO, teachers can save, access financial services and strengthen their economic resilience. Professional dignity and economic wellbeing are interconnected.
9. Our Commitment to Building a Stronger UPSTU
At UPSTU, we are also strengthening the institution that represents and serves teachers. Our recent transition into our acquired and renovated headquarters at Makerere Hill, Plot 346, Muganzi Awongererwa Road, near Bugema University, is an important milestone. The new home represents growing institutional capacity, stronger visibility and our determination to serve science teachers more effectively across Uganda.
From advocacy for better working conditions and equitable remuneration, to ProDev Hour, innovation, economic empowerment, teacher wellbeing, gender inclusion, digital transformation and professional rights, UPSTU will continue to use its growing institutional strength to advance the interests of teachers and the quality of science education.
10. Our Call to Action
To Government and the Ministry of Education and Sports: continue strengthening teacher status through fair and equitable remuneration, supportive working conditions, adequate resources, meaningful professional development and effective mechanisms for teacher participation in policy and reforms. Sustain attention to workload, deployment, career progression, retirement and pension matters and unresolved employment conditions.
To school owners, managers and administrators: create professional environments where teachers are respected, consulted, mentored and supported, with reasonable workloads, adequate resources and protection of physical and emotional wellbeing.
To education institutions and curriculum and assessment bodies: maintain regular dialogue with teachers and teacher organisations. Classroom experience is essential to designing workable reforms.
To development partners, universities and the private sector: invest in teacher development, STEM education, research, digital transformation, innovation and wellbeing, and support strategic partnerships that deliver sustainable benefits.
To teacher organisations and unions: strengthen solidarity and collaboration across the profession. The advancement of one category of teachers should be pursued as a shared gain for the whole education system.
To teachers: continue learning, uphold professional ethics, protect learners, embrace innovation, support colleagues and participate actively in professional organisations and communities of practice. The status of teaching is also shaped by the professionalism teachers demonstrate every day.
11. Standing With Teachers is Standing for Uganda’s Future
As we mark 60 years of the international commitment to protecting and advancing the status of teachers, we are reminded that the future of education depends not only on what we expect from teachers, but also on what we are prepared to do for teachers. Standing with teachers means protecting their dignity, strengthening their professional voice, improving working conditions and investing in continuous development and wellbeing.
At UPSTU, we remain committed to contributing to that future. Our growing programmes, partnerships and institutional development are part of a wider commitment to building a stronger, more visible and sustainable professional voice for science teachers across Uganda.
Let us therefore move beyond simply thanking teachers to building the conditions in which teachers can teach, innovate, lead, grow and live with dignity. When we protect the teacher, we protect the profession; when we strengthen the profession, we strengthen education; and when we strengthen education, we shape a better future for Uganda.
Our celebration today is therefore also a commitment:
STAND WITH TEACHERS NOT ONLY IN WORDS, BUT THROUGH POLICY, INVESTMENT, DIALOGUE AND ACTION.
Happy World Teachers’ Day 2026!
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MUGAIGA ARON
General Secretary
ELONG VINCENT
National Chairperson