Remuneration, Morale, and Learning: Policy Pathways to Improve Teachers’ Satisfaction and Students’ Performance in Uganda’s Government Secondary Schools

This policy brief explores possible itineraries towards teachers’ satisfaction, and students’ performance through remuneration, morale, and learning in Uganda’s government secondary schools. The satisfaction of teachers is a key determinant of the performance of students in government secondary schools in Uganda. The existing remuneration packages do not mostly fulfil the needs of educators. Therefore, teacher morale is low, hence reduced effectiveness in teaching. Educational policies can only be effective if they take cognizance of the relationship between teacher remuneration, their job satisfaction, and student output. It is, therefore, imperative for policymakers to come up with holistic strategies addressing these interrelated factors in a bid to enhance the quality of education that is being dispensed. The government should increase investment in teacher salaries. It should also set up a fund for performance-based incentives and regular professional development training that will empower teachers and put them in high spirits. Stakeholders’ collaboration between educational institutions and the local community is also highly welcome for an environment among educators. Raising the issue of pay and morale leads to better output, and targeted policy pathways create room for the government to have a happy teaching workforce, raising students’ performances, which will trickle down for long periods