UNATU Secretariat | 18th August 2025 — The Communication Department of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) organized an in-house Data Management and Information Storage Training aimed at improving internal systems and building staff capacity in managing organizational information efficiently and securely.
The training was held in a hybrid format, with 11 staff attending physically at the UNATU Secretariat and over 45 staff joining online. It was one of several planned capacity-building sessions to promote digital proficiency, reduce data-related inefficiencies, and enhance institutional decision-making.
Opening & Objectives
The training opened with remarks from the Communication and Advocacy Manager, who welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of such knowledge-sharing engagements in strengthening UNATU’s internal systems and communications across all levels.
The IT Officer presented the objectives of the training, which were to:
Enhance understanding of data management and its value to union operations and advocacy
Promote efficient and secure information storage practices
Improve access and retrieval of digital files and organizational records
Strengthen data security and confidentiality
Discourage unsafe file storage habits, such as saving documents on desktops
Build practical skills in file organization, naming conventions, and backups
Key Presentation
The IT Officer delivered an engaging and well-structured presentation titled “UNATU Staff Data Management and Information Storage Training”. Key sections included:
The definition and importance of data management and information storage
Types of data handled at UNATU (membership, activity, financial, advocacy, and sensitive data)
Principles of good data management: accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, and security
Paper-based storage tips (labelling, lockable filing)
Digital storage methods (folder structuring, centralized cloud storage, regular backups)
Risks of saving files on desktops — such as data loss, poor organization, slower performance, and security breaches
Data privacy and protection strategies: passwords, role-based access, and safe disposal of files
Practical Session
The ICT Assistant led participants through two hands-on activities:
Folder structure creation for storing and organizing UNATU records
File backup demonstration, including transferring documents from desktops to external drives or shared cloud folders
Participants practiced naming files properly, removing clutter from personal desktops, and navigating shared drives more efficiently.
Plenary Discussion
A vibrant plenary session followed, where staff raised insightful questions on:
Shortcut techniques for quickly feeding into master documents
Flash disk risk management
Document consolidation across departments
Workflow between communication and other departments for improved data flow
Closing Remarks
The training was officially closed by the Program Officer, who commended the Communication Department for initiating the session. He thanked participants for their active involvement and stressed that such trainings must not operate in isolation but should cut across all departments, including regional and branch structures.
He acknowledged that data challenges are widespread, especially in accountability and reporting, and called for collaboration between Communications and other departments to address them. He also highlighted the importance of having well-organized and easily retrievable data for decision-making, monitoring, and advocacy.
A virtual group photo was taken to commemorate the successful session.
