By Stephen Otage – An analysis of teachers seeking scholarships under the Aga Khan University Institute of Educational Development has shown that Ugandan teachers are least interested in professional development in East Africa.
According to Ms Elizabeth Gabona, the director of higher technical vocational education at the Ministry of Education, even at the Ministry, when opportunities emerge, the few teachers who apply for scholarships are often out-competed by other professionals because of substandard essays.
Speaking at a dinner hosted for educationists in Uganda by the Aga Khan University Institute of Educational Development last week, Mr Mahmood Ahmed, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) resident representative, said he was dismayed by the low uptake of scholarships by Ugandan teachers compared to Kenya and Tanzania.
“I find that the demand for these scholarships is high among teachers in Kenya and Tanzania but very low in Uganda, yet the programme is completely subsidised,” he said, adding: “His Highness the Aga Khan believes in world standards where it is no longer acceptable for mediocrity to be the order of the day in the developing world,” he told the guests.
Ismailimail 