Letters
Education ministry breaking up families
Education ministry breaking up families
I don’t know if the ministry of education is aware of this but the policy that was established of transferring head teachers every after 5 years is creating havoc in families. It would have been of no consequence if the transfer is to a school in a nearby district from where the head teachers reside but when it is in a far flung school, this has created problems which have left many families broken.
Whereas it is not bad to transfer head teachers what beats my understanding is why a man with a working wife and school-going children should be transferred for example from Jinja to Ntungamo in the middle of the year!
Does the ministry know what this means to the family? Are they aware of the fights, disagreements and arguments that arise between a husband and wife while they try to reach a compromise on this transfer? Once the family decides to stay behind, do they know of the pain children go through, of growing up without the presence of their fathers or the loneliness the wife is forced to endure as she is left at home without the protection of her husband? What about the temptation both husband and wife face that result from the loneliness and the long distance relationship? Are they even aware of the disorganization a transfer creates of having to look for new schools for the children and having to adapt to the new environment once the family decides to go.
While I am fully aware that transfers were established to expose employees to different experiences and a wide variety of skills, it is of importance that we also consider the problems that they create. Job transfers not only reduce educational morale for children given the changes that they are forced to go through during shifts, but they also result into infidelities which not only lead to spread of infectious disease but also break up families.
I highly recommend that if the ministry is to transfer a head teacher they should at least transfer them to the nearest district where they can easily commute to their families.
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