Wamala Sserunkuma, who also chairs the association of head teachers in Mukono Municipality, said teachers continue to work under difficult conditions, including economic hardship, intimidation and what she described as public embarrassment in the presence of learners and parents.
Uganda joined the rest of the world on Monday to mark World Teachers’ Day 2026, but celebrations in Mukono Municipality were subdued, with many teachers spending the occasion in classrooms as they continued teaching.
The 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebrations have been held under the theme, “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing Its Status and Shaping Our Futures,” highlighting the need to recognise teachers’ contributions while addressing the challenges affecting their profession.
At Ngandu Community Primary School in Mukono Municipality, lessons proceeded as usual, with teachers attending to learners with little indication that the day had been set aside to recognise their contribution to education.
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Leonard Mwebe, the deputy head teacher, said it felt unusual to celebrate Teachers’ Day while continuing with normal duties.
“It is surprising to celebrate our day while we are still working,” Mwebe said.
He attributed the subdued celebrations to the economic pressures affecting teachers and cited several challenges at the school, including parents’ failure to pay feeding fees, a shortage of teachers and lack of staff accommodation.
Mwebe said inadequate feeding was also affecting learners, with some children reportedly falling ill due to hunger-related conditions.
Dorothy Nakimuli, another teacher at the school, said she was equally surprised that teachers had not been given time off to mark their day.
She, however, appreciated the government for ensuring that teachers receive their salaries on time and for the allowances provided to them.
Nakimuli said teachers continue to face the challenge of low pay amid a rising cost of living, while hunger among learners further complicates their work.
She called for a salary structure that takes into account teachers’ years of service and experience.
However, the mood was more celebratory at Mukono Boarding Primary School, where head teacher Suzan Wamala Sserunkuma and her staff marked the occasion together with pupils.
Teachers and learners were seen dancing and waving the national flag as the school celebrated the contribution of educators.
The pupils used the occasion to thank their teachers for guiding, teaching and supporting them through difficult situations.
Some described their teachers as courageous figures who stand by them when they face challenges both at school and at home.
Wamala Sserunkuma, who also chairs the association of head teachers in Mukono Municipality, said teachers continue to work under difficult conditions, including economic hardship, intimidation and what she described as public embarrassment in the presence of learners and parents.
She said such treatment undermines the dignity and standing of the teaching profession and called for greater respect for educators.
Wamala also raised concern over restrictions on parents making financial contributions to schools, warning that such measures could affect the ability of institutions to meet some operational needs.
She argued that government funding does not always cover all the requirements of schools, making some form of parental support necessary for smooth operations.
Katongole Nabil, the head teacher of Mukono Junior School in Ttakajjunge, Nama Sub-county, urged Minister for Local Government Balaam Barugahara to conduct thorough investigations before publicly criticising or taking action against teachers and school administrators.
Nabil said public criticism of educators can undermine their dignity and authority before learners and parents.
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He also stressed the importance of ensuring that learners receive adequate food while at school, saying hunger can negatively affect their concentration and academic performance.
Although the 2026 theme calls for greater protection of the teaching profession and recognition of educators, teachers in Mukono used the occasion to highlight the challenges confronting them, including inadequate staffing, unpaid feeding fees, limited staff accommodation, low pay, rising living costs and public scrutiny.
For many educators, meaningful recognition of teachers must go beyond a single day of celebration and translate into better working conditions, professional respect and policies that enable them to deliver quality education.