The second and final day of the Gender and Women Empowerment workshop for female leaders in the Western Region took place on the 18th of August, 2024, at Fort Breeze Hotel in Fort Portal City. Building on the momentum from the first day, the workshop continued to focus on enhancing the entrepreneurship and leadership capacity of female educators.
Recap and Interactive Session:
Day two began with an interactive recap of the previous day’s activities and sessions, chaired by Western Regional Administrator Patience Okiria and Robbinah Kabayaga, the Regional Secretary for Planning and Organizing. This session served as a valuable opportunity for attendees to reflect on the key lessons and insights from day one.
Question and Answer Session
Following the recap, Aja Joan, the UNATU Gender Officer and Nabirye Teddy, the National Secretary for Women Affairs led a Question and Answer session. This allowed participants to discuss and clarify misconceptions surrounding puberty and menstrual hygiene management. The session was highly interactive, providing a platform for the female educators to openly share their experiences and challenges.
Empowerment and Leadership
The General Secretary, Baguma Filbert Bates, addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of self-empowerment as a foundation for empowering others. “We must begin from ourselves,” he stated. The GS stressed that knowing their rights is crucial for female educators to extend empowerment to their learners.
He encouraged the educators to stand up for leadership roles, regardless of whether they were elected or not. “Empowerment begins with you, and then you extend it to your learners,” he asserted. The GS also conducted a session on human rights, women’s rights, marriage, will-making, and property and land rights, highlighting the importance of legal awareness for female educators.
Rights and Entitlements
The General Secretary discussed various rights and entitlements for female educators, including maternity leave, sick leave, and study leave. He explained that maternity leave, which is 60 working days, is a constitutional right, and he urged the educators to always seek permission to avoid being labeled as absconding. He also covered the process for obtaining sick leave and the conditions for study leave, both with and without pay.
Retirement and Financial Matters
The session also included a comprehensive discussion on retirement
- Retirement on marriage grounds with a one-off payment.
- Retirement after 10 years of service with atleast 45 years of age, qualifying for gratuity and pension.
- Retirement after 20 years of service, qualifying for gratuity and pension.
- Mandatory retirement of 60 years.
- Retirement by death, where the family qualifies for monthly pension and death gratuity if the service period falls between 10 and 20 years.
The GS addressed the ongoing issue of salary enhancement, urging them to be to await further communication the issue. He also mentioned the Teachers’ Bill and directed participants to the website for further reading. Other topics included validation issues affecting some teachers, corporate wear, and scholarship opportunities from the CTF-UNATU scholarship scheme.
The GS highlighted UNATU SACCO as a viable financial solution for teachers, offering an alternative to multiple loans. He also encouraged teachers from the secondary sub sector to participate in ICT training and provide their details.
Conclusion of Day Two
The workshop concluded on a high note, with participants expressing their excitement and gratitude for the experience. The comprehensive sessions and interactive discussions equipped the female educators with valuable knowledge especially on Will-Making, property & Land Rights and skills to foster gender equality and empower themselves and their learners. With renewed confidence and a strengthened sense of purpose, the female leaders left the workshop ready to make a significant impact in their schools and communities.
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