Seventy-seven percent of the teachers in private schools didn’t return after the shutdown

Seventy-seven percent of the teachers in private schools didn’t return after the shutdown.

This is according to a new survey by the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC).

Rehema Kahunde, a researcher at the Makerere University-Based centre says that they did a survey in 22 districts, a month after the school reopening.

During the study, they asked private school headteachers about the attrition rate of both teachers and students in addition to how prepared they were to resume following the world’s longest school closure.

She says school heads reported having lost teachers to petty businesses such as vending and Boda boda something researchers warn could have long term effects on the teaching workforce.

Commenting on these findings and the general impact that COVID-19 has had on the social sector, Dr. Ibrahim Kasirye, a senior researcher at EPRC predicts the rate of child labour to go even higher because they can no longer afford school.