15th July 2025 | Fort View Resort, Fort Portal City
The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) convened a strategic stakeholder engagement meeting with Western Region Strategic Managers on July 15, 2025, at Fort View Resort in Fort Portal City. The event brought together UNATU’s General Secretary, Regional Chairperson – Western, Regional Coordinator, District Branch Chairpersons, and the Gender Officer, alongside key education leaders from across the region.
In his opening remarks, the Regional Chairperson welcomed participants and emphasized that strategic managers are not just technical officers, but strategic partners in improving education service delivery. He highlighted the importance of collaboration and open dialogue, stating, “What affects you, affects the teachers — and what affects the teachers, affects the entire system.”
He thanked specific district managers, including the Strategic Managers from Kakumiro and Fort Portal City, for their consistent support, especially in ensuring the coding of UNATU members under the new HCM system. He also proposed that managers who hadn’t yet received official UNATU-branded corporate wear should be considered, as a symbol of unity between education managers and union leaders.
The chairperson also raised the need to develop a schedule of pensioners, which would enable UNATU to retain retired members within the union framework and support them in times of need.
GS Calls for Deeper Collaboration
Delivering the meeting’s keynote, UNATU General Secretary Baguma Filbert Bates expressed gratitude to all participants and reminded them that the engagement is part of an annual commitment to strengthen collaboration between union leadership and strategic managers. He noted that both groups operate on the frontlines of education service delivery and must work in cohesion.
Mr. Baguma emphasized that the majority of civil servants strategic managers oversee are teachers, making cooperation with UNATU not just useful but essential. He raised serious concerns around salary disparities in the public service, describing them as an ongoing injustice. He also applauded UNATU leaders at all levels—especially BECs and RECs—for maintaining professionalism amidst growing criticism and misinformation.
“Being a leader means handling insults and unfairness while doing the right thing,” he said, recognizing that Strategic Managers face similar frustrations, particularly regarding delays in salary and remittance issues.
A Mental Health Crisis Among Teachers
The General Secretary painted a sobering picture of the mental health challenges faced by teachers, revealing that UNATU loses between 500–600 members annually, most of them male, due to stress-related conditions and social pressures. “It is no longer just an economic concern—it’s a psychosocial one,” he stated, calling on all stakeholders to take a proactive role in sensitizing teachers and providing mental health support within the education sector.
He requested feedback from the Strategic Managers regarding the migration from IPPS to HCM, warning that some districts are experiencing a complete drop in union membership due to poor transitions. Mr. Baguma also urged managers to sensitize teachers on the dangers of unchecked loans and familiarize themselves with the operational shifts brought by the HCM system.
Legal Risks in the UPE Environment
Another issue raised during the meeting was the increased arrest of headteachers under the UPE program for charging modest development fees through PTAs. Citing a recent incident in Rukungiri District, where both headteachers and PTA members were arrested, the General Secretary stressed the need for timely guidance to school leaders before such cases escalate further.
Updates on Remittances and Open Dialogue
The UNATU Western Regional Coordinator presented a detailed update on the status of membership remittances, outlining both achievements and ongoing challenges. He applauded the existing cooperation with Strategic Managers but called for more consistency and transparency in data sharing and reconciliation.
A plenary session followed, during which strategic managers engaged with the questions posed earlier by the General Secretary. Discussions reflected growing collaboration and shared ownership of solutions, as managers provided updates and recommendations from their districts.
The meeting closed on a high note, with both UNATU leadership and Strategic Managers pledging to maintain open communication and strengthen their partnership for the benefit of teachers and education as a whole.
