Title: The Ghost Coming Back to Haunt Primary Education in Uganda: Ten Years Without Preparing Primary Teachers
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius
Asiimwe Isaac Kazaara
Akampurira Sarah
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
Pages: 253-261
Publication Date: 2026/06/28
Abstract:
The institutional sustainability of foundational literacy and numeracy within Uganda's primary education ecosystem has been deeply compromised by long-term structural oversights in teacher preparation, creating a profound generational challenge. This study critically evaluates the structural consequences of a decade-long policy gap in standardized pre-service primary teacher training across Uganda's Universal Primary Education (UPE) framework. Utilizing a robust cross-sectional descriptive and comparative research design, this investigation analyzed empirical data from a multi-stage stratified representative sample of N = 1,200 primary school educators, institutional heads, and district education officers across the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Western regions. The statistical methodology followed an advanced three-tiered analytical pathway: univariate profiling to evaluate baseline competency levels and infrastructural distress; bivariate chi-square analyses to examine disparities across geographic settings, funding structures, and regional zones; and multivariable logistic regression modeling to compute adjusted odds ratios (AOR) isolating the key professional and structural predictors of severe pedagogical deficiency. The empirical results revealed a highly concerning educational crisis: 42.83% (n = 514) of the teaching workforce demonstrated severe deficiencies in foundational lesson planning and literacy delivery, while over half (50.58%, n = 607) operated in underfunded environments lacking standard instructional guides. Regional variations were highly significant (chi^2 = 184.22, p < 0.001), with the Northern region suffering an alarming 71.4% classroom performance failure rate compared to 24.5% in the Central region. The multivariable logistic regression model isolated the absolute absence of recent formal Primary Teacher College (PTC) pre-service exposure as the single strongest predictor of pedagogical failure, showing that teachers operating without formal training were over five times more likely to exhibit severe instruction deficits compared to trained peers (AOR = 5.34; 95\%CI: [3.89, 7.49]; p < 0.001). Furthermore, overcrowded public classrooms with pupil-teacher ratios exceeding 1:60 doubled the probability of severe instructional collapse (AOR = 1.98, p < 0.001). This study concludes that the decade-long omission of rigorous teacher preparation has returned as a "pedagogical ghost" that severely weakens the educational system. Immediate policy interventions are required, including establishing a National Primary Teacher Capacity Induction Framework, legislating a mandatory 5% GDP allocation to primary education infrastructure, and institutionalizing structured school-based mentorship networks to bridge regional equity gaps.