Namutumba District is grappling with a deepening education crisis as daily teacher absenteeism reaches unprecedented levels, with an estimated 270 teachers missing from school each day.
According to a new report released this week, the situation is severely undermining learning outcomes and contributing to persistent failure rates in national examinations.
The report—“Are Our Children Learning?”—jointly authored by Uwezo Uganda and the Nsinze Sub-county HIV/AIDS Workers Association (NSHAWA), reveals that 18 percent of the district’s 1,500 teachers are absent on a typical day.
This is despite the introduction of an automated attendance-monitoring system intended to curb absenteeism. Researchers say some teachers and school administrators have “deliberately disengaged” from the system, limiting its effectiveness.
With 109 primary schools serving more than 123,000 pupils, Namutumba continues to face one of the worst pupil-teacher ratios in the country, currently standing at 145:1—far above national standards.
Education officials warned that persistent absenteeism is leaving pupils without essential competencies.
The District Education Officer in charge of Special Needs Education, Simon Muwuliza, described absenteeism as a long-standing challenge that has significantly contributed to poor performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
“Even though some teachers may be physically present, many of today’s digital-era teachers leave training colleges lacking critical skills such as lesson planning and proper scheming. This hinders children from acquiring the competencies expected by the time they sit for national exams,” he said.
Muwuliza added that the crisis cannot be resolved without addressing underlying factors such as inadequate inspections and low teacher welfare.
“The lack of provision for teachers’ basic needs lowers motivation and makes regular attendance extremely difficult,” he said.
The District Internal Security Officer, Gilbert Ninsiima, said Namutumba now ranks highest in daily teacher absenteeism nationwide.
“Out of 1,500 teachers, only 1,230 report to school on a typical day. This reflects major supervision gaps. Inspectors of schools are not doing enough, and many of the 109 government primary school head teachers are themselves absent,” he said.
Similar concerns were echoed by the head teacher of Upper Primary School, Aggrey Lugenyi, who noted that many lower-primary teachers lack basic instructional skills.
“Sometimes we wonder whether the digital teachers recruited in Namutumba actually completed teacher training college. Some lack the fundamentals of professional teaching,” he said.
The Executive Director of NSHAWA, Nathan Nkenga, emphasized the need for a holistic approach.
“Because most causes are intertwined, we cannot apply fragmented solutions. We must first understand the root causes if we expect sustainable results,” he said.
Teachers, meanwhile, cited low pay, poor working conditions, and overwhelming class sizes as major factors contributing to their absenteeism.
One teacher who requested anonymity said many colleagues have “lost their passion for teaching,” accusing some head teachers of prioritizing private businesses over school leadership.
Parents also voiced their frustration, saying absenteeism worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic. Sarah Nangobi, a parent, said some teachers “only go to school twice a week and spend the rest of their time farming.”