For the last 18 years, the school health policy has been in the draft and it’s the role of Ministry of education to process and passe the policy.
School health is about harnessing the strategic opportunity of the school to prepare and nurture children and youth into healthy adults. It entails strategies, programs, activities, and services that are provided in the school setting to promote physical, emotional and social development of learners and communities at large. This school health policy is a vehicle for the government’s commitment towards fulfilling the constitutional obligation of ensuring good quality education and health for all Ugandans.
Why meeting the teacher’s union (UNATU)?
Ministry of education and sports works closely with teachers’ unions in Uganda mostly Uganda National Teachers Union in developing a number of policies and frameworks in education systems in Uganda and its the obligation of Uganda National Teachers Union to enhance the right to and quality of education at all levels among the teachers and young people in schools. It from this background that UNYPA conducted an orientational meeting with the Teachers union for them to understand the policy, buy in the policy and lobby for its passing by the Ministry of education.
How far has the policy gone? The policy is at
Outcomes from the meeting:
- Mr. Baguma Filbert, the UNATU General Secretary appreciated Right Here Right Now and UNYPA for organizing the orientation meeting to his teacher’s leaders from different parts of Uganda and he informed the members that this was an eye-opener to them.
“ We have been able to understand the policy and its need in the education system of Uganda towards improving SRH in education to the girl child and boy child and on behalf of UNATU its our role to committee and demand our ministry of education to pass the policy and support its implementation before the end of 2019.”
- The General Secretary committed to conducting a meeting with the UNATU National Executive committee(NEC) and other top leaders to organise for a meeting with the permanent secretary, Ministry of education and sports and the Minister for education and sports for the immediate need of passing the draft National School Health Policy since its at the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) final stages we shall influence its passing.
- The Deputy general secretary Mr.Duluga Buni Philip committed to influencing the passing of National School Health Policy through the technical working groups in Ministry of Education he sits on. “If we have been able to influence the government to increase our salary, we shall be able to influence the passing of the National School Health Policy since we have known that this will help to guide the teachers towards teaching better on sexual reproductive health for girls and boys in schools and there has been a gap with our teachers.
- Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process so as to help in the formulation and passing of the National School Health Policy at its final stages
- The teacher’s leaders were able to identify UNATU Chairperson and general Secretary (Mr. Zadock Tumuhimbise and Mr. Baguma Filbert) as their Champions towards influencing the passing of the National School Health policy from the ministry of education and sports and will utilize the different platforms to advocate and influence the passing of the National School Health Policy
