Tomorrow is International Teachers Day and the government has organized several functions all over the country to honour one of the most important professions but least appreciated jobs. Amid the celebrations tomorrow, one can be sure the teachers won’t hide their disappointment that plans to improve their living conditions were not being implemented as fast as they would wish. The teaching vocation, especially in developing countries, is one of the most unappreciated; many see it as thankless and regard it as a short-term measure while waiting for better opportunities. The Ministry of Education is well aware of the predicament of teacher retention and has come up with some incentives which many teachers say don’t go far enough. One of them is the recent 10 per cent salary increase, the first in decades, that is not commensurate with today’s market prices, but at least it is better than nothing. Definitely, low motivation is the root cause of poor education standards in the country, and as long as the government is not able to dig deeper into its pockets, poor results will be the order of the day. One of the options it has put forward is to scrap education loans to university graduates who accept to teach for a certain period of time; three years for primary teachers and five for secondary. Those are generous incentives as many beneficiaries struggle to pay off their student loans. However, unless the graduates have a secondary source of income, few will be lured to pick up the offer, so the government needs to continue burning the midnight candle to find a lasting solution. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
