Uganda 105 Districts Primary Education Government System-Led Active
In each classroom, a child’s opportunity to learn rests on one person, their teacher. When teachers feel valued, supported and sure of their purpose, they bring curiosity, care and confidence into the room, and learners respond in kind.
The Primary Teacher Changemaker Development Programme (TCMDP) helps teachers in Uganda become exactly that – changemakers. We achieve this by working with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and local governments, through the systems already in place, so that improvements begin and stay in classrooms.
Goal
To improve learning outcomes for children in Uganda by strengthening teacher motivation, professional practice and education system capacity, so that teachers can create safe, inclusive and engaging classrooms where every learner can thrive.
How TCMDP Works
At the heart of TCMDP are Learning Improvement Cycles (LICs). In each cycle, teachers and school leaders learn practical, evidence-informed teaching strategies, apply them in their own classrooms, receive feedback from colleagues and leaders, then reflect and improve before beginning the next cycle. School leaders are equipped to nurture a culture of peer collaboration, so professional learning becomes part of everyday school life.
TCMDP is grounded in four principles of intrinsic motivation:
- Relationships: Learning alongside colleagues who support and challenge each other.
- Autonomy: Teachers owning their development.
- Mastery: The satisfaction of getting better at the craft of teaching.
- Purpose: Seeing how everyday teaching shapes learners’ futures.
Working Through Government Systems
TCMDP is embedded in existing government systems across five connected levels so that support reaches the classroom and ownership stays with the system. With the programme now reaching 105 districts, Ed Impact Africa Foundation, successor to STiR Education, is focusing on five priorities:
- Scale Learning Improvement Cycles: Expand structured, school-based professional learning, with content shaped by teachers’ identified needs.
- Strengthen teacher peer networks and classroom practice: Support regular school-based networks, classroom observation and peer feedback so learning translates into practice.
- Deepen system ownership: Work with MoES, district education departments, inspectors, teacher training institutions and professional networks to embed teacher motivation, professional learning and monitoring in government systems.
- Generate and use evidence: Track changes in teacher practice and behaviour alongside learner attendance, retention, dropout and academic performance, and use the findings to improve delivery.
- Keep improving through system alignment: Use district and national platforms to review evidence, name implementation challenges and agree practical next steps for quality and sustainability.
Our Partners
TCMDP is delivered with and through the people and institutions that run Uganda’s education system:
- Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES)
- Local Governments
- National Association of Municipal, District and City Education Officers (NAMUDEO)
- Uganda National Inspectors of Schools Association (UNISA)
- Teacher Training Institutions and Centre Coordinating Tutors
- District and Municipal Education Departments
By The End Of The Programme
- Motivated and engaged teachers with stronger professional agency, collaboration and commitment to learning and to teaching.
- Better teaching with more learner-centred, inclusive and evidence-informed practice that makes classrooms safe, engaging and effective.
- Stronger systems with teacher professional development, motivation, monitoring and continuous improvement integrated into MoES, district and school structures.
- More children learning shown through better attendance and retention, reduced dropout, and stronger engagement and achievement by the end of Primary Seven.
