teacher talk october 2010

8/6/2019 Teacher Talk October 2010

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against religious or triballines. "Nobody can beentirely independent. Schoomanagers, create a free

working environment forpupils, teachers, non teachinstaff to work as a team. Weare talented differently, if yodiscriminate others, you wilmiss other peoples talents.

Stop stigma anddiscrimination: Increase the number of

pupils in your school. Boost your pupils self

esteem. Enjoy teaching. Reduce dropout rates and

increase retention. Contribute to good

performance and grades.

Vol. 9 No. 2 October 2010

Kick stigma out of your schoolMake learning and teaching fun

Last year, pupils ofKanyatsi Model PSin Kasese went to burya parent of one of the

pupils in the school.At the burial, it wasannounced that theparent had died of HIV.

Mubatsi Nicholas ateacher in this schoolwrote to Teacher Talkand said: "When food wasserved, pupils refusedto eat. They thoughtHIV had remained inthose plates. Two weekslater, the orphaned pupilreturned to school andall the children in hisclass refused to sit withhim."

This pupil faced stigma

and discrimination. Stigmais discrediting attitudestowards another person oryourself on the basis of somefeatures that are regardedundesirable. To stigmatizeis to label someone inferioror feel inferior because of anattribute they have.

Discrimination is when somebody is treated less fairlythan others because of whatsituation he or she is in.

In a school setting, pupilsand teachers may be

stigmatized because theyare from a different ethnicgroup, have disability oran illness such as HIV orbecause their family has hadsomeone with HIV.

The PrincipalAssistant SecretaryMinistry ofEducation and

Sports (MoES)Aggrey Kibenge says:"The Uganda constitutionprohibits any form ofdiscrimination and stigmaagainst people. It gives equalopportunity to all rightslike education, medical,employment, belief in anyreligion and others.Stigma and discrimination iscaused by ignorance, myths

and misconceptions aboutHIV."

Dr Daniel Nkaada,Commissioner forPrimary schooleducation, stressesthe importance ofaccommodating eachothers to work efficiently.It is wrong to divide people

Teachers, youmight be thinkingthat it is onlybeating whichhurts your pupils.Stigma anddiscriminationequally hurts.Make your school

stigma free.

Joy Niwagaba, 43, is asenior woman teacherat St Paul's CommunityPS, Kasese. In a letter toTeacher Talk Joy say:"I am so grateful to TeacherTalk for supporting my workas a senior woman teacherwith valuable messages.I also got a beautiful T-Shirt when I sent a letter toTeacher Talk."

Dear Teachers, YoungTalkis also a great tool insupporting guidance and

QUIZConflict resolution

SharewithTeacherTalk

thekind ofconflictsthat

happeninyour schools.

Howdoyoudealwith

conflictamongteachers,

betweenteachersand

pupilsorteachers and

thehead-teacherin

your school.SendyouranswerstoPOBOX22366,Kampala

Teacher Talk supports my counseling work

If your schooldoesn't getYoung TalkandTeacher Talk,Write toPO Box 22366,Kampalaor send SMS to077517458

The LC5 chairperson of Bukedea district, Rev Sam Ebukalin flags of a teach-ers Bicycle race during an Education fare that was held in the district in June

this year. Activities like this help teachers to relate well with each other.

counseling work. Young Talkalso helps pupils make gooddecisions and stay safe.

Dr Nkaada


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Teacher Talk, October 20102

HIV related stigma is usuallydue to ignorance. Get yourfacts on HIV right and live inharmony with people affectedwith HIV.

The Education sector HIV/AIDS workplace policy saysMoEs will ensure that noperson with HIV/AIDS is

treated unfairly in regard torecruitment, appointment,grading, remuneration,employment, assignments,training and dismissal.If a worker harasses anemployee who is HIV positive,he/she shall be subjectedto strong disciplinary action,which may result intotermination.

Mariam Amile, Yumbe TownCouncil PS, says: We had anHIV positive teacher. She did nothide while swallowing her ARVs,However some people pointedfingers at her.

When you stigmatize peoplewith HIV and their families, youincrease their suffering. Thisleads to denial, shame, loneliness,depression, anger, self pity andalcoholism

Increase awarenessSchools like Muni PS andMasindi Model School havemade efforts to reducestigma. Opendu Avento, 36,Muni PS Arua says:We hada pupil living with HIV. Pupilsdid not want to play or share eatswith him. We talked to the pupilsabout the effects of stigma. Somepupils are now freely interactingwith him.

Teachers of Bishop Willis,Demonstration PS, Iganga share

views. Such moments help teachersto interact and reduces stigma

You can have a stigmafree school by settingup systems and rules towipe it out. BeatriceBainomugisha sharesuseful tips:

Encourage pupils to talkopenly and report

stigmatising situations. Involve pupils in

identifying the situations. Forinstance, you could ask them todraw a map to identify placeswithhigh levels of stigma in thecommunity. Display this map onthe school notice board.

Encourage pupils to draw,dramatize, use poems to showsolutions.

Discourage stigmatising wordswhen you hear them, but do itgently.

Involve the parents/care givers toknow how stigma presents itselfand how to avoid it.

MN, a teacher ofKanyatsi ModelPS, Kasese, says:We have a childliving with HIV.When pupils learntabout it, theystopped sharingeats, play or sit

near him, thinkingthey would get HIV.This made him cry. We

called a trained counsellorwho sensitized the schoolon HIV. We do this everyFriday. Discriminationagainst him stopped. He isnow one of the prefects.

Kureeba Chris, Headteacher Ngoma 1, PS,Ntungamo, says: Wesensitize pupils and fellowteachers about HIV/AIDS.For example HIV is not ataboo and not caused bywitch craft.

th

Pointing fingers increases HIV

Throughdrawings, pupilscan expressstigmatisingsituations

Treat people affected and infected with HIV fairly - MoES policy

Set up systems to eliminate stigma

Whenanyonefacesstigma,theirperformanceandefficiencydeteriorates. Ifyouarebeingstigmatized,gethelp.

Talktoyourcolleagues.Tell themhowyoufeel.Useaseniorteacherto mediatethediscussion.

Ifthisdoesnothelp,seekhelpfromtheheadteacher.

Iftheproblemiscausedbypupils,talksandactivities thatpromotefreeinteraction betweenteachers andlearners canbeofhelp.

Talktosomeone

Effects of Stigma

Stigma makes pupils feel insecurand have no sense of belonging.Sometimes, stigma results intoviolence just like it happened toZema Dominic a parent in Moy

He says, My son got burnt whenhe was a baby. He developed deepscars. Pupils laugh and call himnames. They isolated him and hefelt bad. He reported to the teacher,but the children continued. One

day, he got annoyed and fought boywho laughed at him. They stoppedabusing him.

The self esteem of stigmatizedchildren and teachers is low. Theybecome withdrawn, depressed,demotivated and may not work harat their school work.

Other effects include: School drop out. Absenteeism from school. Poor class performance to pupils

and teachers. Isolation and self pity Self neglect.

Ateacher inKaseseiscon-

cerned. Hesays: Thereisa

teacherin thenearbyschool

whocame fromabroad.He

is notmarriedbut heasked

foragirlof 15yearsfroma

neighbouring hometohelp

him.The sadthing isthathe

sleepswithheronthesame

bedand sheisactingasa

wife.What canwedo?Write

toTeacherTalk, POBOX,

22366,Kampala

Advise

Support the affectedIn Masindi Model School,teachers supported a colleaguewhen he was unwell.

Okecho Alex, a teacher says:We had a teacher who wasHIV positive. He was alwayssick and absent. He feared todisclose his status. This affected

the pupils performance. Thehead teacher reported him to theDistrict Education Office. Thecommunity wanted him sacked.

Teachers who knew his statusencouraged him to disclose. Thishelped him. Whenever he fellsick, another teacher would takeover his classes. His workloadwas reduced. He was encouragedto get treatment.

The teachers' guide onsupporting children in theera of HIV and AIDS is ahelpful tool for you. It says: Talk to the affected children

and not about them. Take note of any abnormal

reactions to identify childrenwho are being stigmatised.

Explain to children that not allchildren who are HIV positiveget it from sex. There are othermodes of transmission.

Help children to discusssensitive topics like sexualityand death with ease.

Read with your pupils theHIV reader on Stigma anddiscrimination "LonelyMakina". Organise arole play on stigma anddiscrimination. Ask thepupils to tell you how theywould feel if they werediscriminated against.

Give children as much informationas possible on HIV


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Many pupils are tempted by the short ex-citement or escape that drugs offer.About 20-30% of admission cases to Butabika Men-tal Hospital are due to drug abuse such as alcohol.Majority of these are young people. Most get intodrugs due to peer pressure, having wrong role mod-els, curiosity, exposure to drugs.

Aboko Brenda, P6, Lira P7 PS says:My friendstarted drinking alcohol because some of her friendsused to drink it. They convinced her to drink a littleuntil she got used. One day, she got drunk and wasraped. She became pregnant, stopped school. Shecan't look after her child.

Naigaga Florence a teacher in Lambala PS,Luuka district says:We had boys who used todrink waragi. They were not listening to teachersand abused other pupils. We talked to them andalso called their parents.

Drugs harm the body and brain. Drug abusers havetrouble at school, at home, with friends, or withthe law. The chances that someone will commit acrime, be a victim of a crime, or have an accidentare higher when that person is abusing drugs.Drugs increase the risk of engaging in unprotected

sex, have multiple partners, defilement, rape andcross generational sex.

Dr David Basangwa from Butabi-ka Hospital, says:Some affect yourability to make healthy choices anddecisions.

Kasirye Rogers, Executive Di-rector of Uganda Youth Devel-

opment Linksaysyou can tell ifyour pupil is abusing drugs if:

Performance declines or they are con-stantly absent.

They withdraw from the activities at school. Have unusual amounts of energy or increased

fatigue. Suddenly they start using freshner or perfume to

hide smoke smell. They are shabby and do not care about their ap-

pearance.

A teacher in Bukedea looks at one of thePIASCY trees on display during the Educationfare held at the district headquarters in June.You can make one for your class or school

Protect pupils from abuse - learn from Amina's story

During the National Teach-ers Day celebrations, Presi-dent Museveni disagreedon the teachers proposal toreinstate lunch fees in theUniversal Primary Education schools in thecountry. He strongly opposed the idea of gov-ernment paying for lunch for pupils in UPEschools. However, many schools already havewonderful lunch options.

Write to Teacher Talk and share withreaders how you are addressing thelunch issue for you pupils.Write to22366, Kampala. Best practices

will win prizes.

Help pupils stop drugs Talk to them when they are sober. Build a good relationship with them pupil.

Give them time. Keep encouraging the pupil leave drugs.

Do not blame or criticise the pupil. Help the pupil realize the problem. Find out how long the pupil has been using

drugs. This will help you know the magnitudof the problem.

Get the child to talk about the problem. Showthe child by word and action that you areready to help.

Get help from other professionals.

Contact:UYDEL: 0414530353, Serenity Centre:0312 298842 and Mental Health Unitsin district hospitals. Read with yourpupils the HIV reader on risky behav-ior 'Vumi sees it All'. After reading, organise a debate to help pupils identifythe dangers of taking drugs

Quiz:

Watch out, your pupil may be on drugs


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PLOT 4 Acacia Avenue, Kololo, P. O. Box 22366, Tel: 03122622031 Kampala (U), Fax: 534858, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] ug, President: C Watson, Executive Director S AjoPrint Director:T. Agutu, Editorial manager: M. Akello Editor: J. Abongowath ,Designer: Gb. mukasa, M.eB KalanziPrinter: The New Vision, Illustrator: SMulyanga, Teacher Talk is funded by USAID

through UNITY/MoES

STRAIGHT TALK FOUNDATION

Presidential Initiative onAIDS Strategy for Communication

to Youth (PIASCY)

Sciencecorner:

Using the HIV readers to equippupils with survival skills

TeachersaskforpayrisePresidentYoweri Museveni

has saidthatgovernmentiswilling tograduallyincreasetheteacherssalaries and improvetheir accommodation.Butheaddedthat this woulddepend oncircumstances because there

were other social services whichneed thegovernment'sattention.Museveniwas respondingto theteachers' request for a payriseduringthe WorldTeachers daycelebrations on 5thOctober, 2010at LugogoCricket ground.

LaptopsforteachersThe Uganda National TeachersUnion(UNATU)hasappliedtothe ministryfor ICTfor teachers

laptops. Laptopsare a teachingtool, ifloadedwithelectronicbooks andresearch topics. To

get one: RegisterwithanyUNATUbranch

near byor UNATUheadquarters. Showproofofmembershipshowproofofbeingon

governmentpayroll byproducing a payslip.

Dr Zainab Akol, ProgrammeManager, STDs /AIDSControl Programmes,Ministry of Health, says:"PEP are ARVs given to someone inemergency like rape and accidents,to prevent HIV infection. You needto take PEP within 72 hours, (3days) of exposure. The earlier, thebetter. PEP is given to a person whohas been raped, a care taker or a

health worker who accidentally getspricked (pierced) by contaminatedsharp objects or come into contactwith fluids like blood, semen orvaginal fluids of an HIV infectedperson.

It may fail to work if you don't gettreatment within 72 hours. Thenumber of weeks one swallows PEPdepends on the risk. If a girl is raped

The HIV readers are a seriesof stories on HIV/AIDS forprimary pupils published bythe Ministry of Education andSports. They are distributed toschools to scale up the supply ofHIV/AIDS prevention materialsin all primary schools in Uganda.The series on the HIV reader areinteresting and help children toapply the knowledge they get ontheir day todayexperiences.

In the last issue

ofTeacher Talk,we asked you totell us how youare using thereader in yourschools. Twentyof you wroteand told us yourstories.

Thank you for thebeautiful letters.Each of you winsa Teacher Talkdiary for 2011.

Marahi Yofesi,Lhuhiri PS,Kasese says:Every Thursday

between 3:00pm - 4:00pm pupilsand staff meet in small groups. Theteacher reads the book while thechildren listen. The children then askquestions and the teachers answer. Adiscussion then follows on what thebook says. Children also borrow theHIV readers, read from home andreturn after reading."The HIV readers have helped ourchildren to like and help people living

with HIV. They have reduced stigmaa n d discrimination among

pupils." NakityoEvelyne, NgasirePS, Kapchorwa.

Wandera Jane,Deputy headteacher KyanjukiPS in Kilembesaysthe HIV readers havehelped her pupilslearn to read andwrite.She adds:EveryFriday, I use thesebooks to pass onmessages on HIV/AIDS. This helpspupils to understandrisks that can exposethem to HIV. Thesame message isrepeated at theassembly on Monday

morning. This helps our

pupils to keep alert all the time.

In Nakanyonyi PS, Jinja, teacherMirembe Susan says:The HIVreaders are given out by the libraryteacher to pupils and teachers to read.When the books are read in class,a pupil is called to recall the storyand each pupil gives a lesson theyhave learnt from the story. Pupilswith related stories are given theopportunity to tell their stories.

Newsbriefs:

Dear head-teachersand teachers,we appreciate thewonderful work you dopicking Young Talkcopiesfor your pupils. Young Talkhelps pupils stay safe.To make your work better:

Ministry of Health advisesPEP

and an HIV test shows that therapist doesn't have HIV, shewill be given PEP for about twomonths.

Dr Akol warns: " Don't simplygo for unprotected sex, and sayI will use PEP to protect my self.If misused, it may not work foryou and other people. The viruswill become resistant. It maydamage your body organs likethe liver and kidney."

Make a time table whenpupils should read YoungTalk.Reserve at least 2 copiesin the file for teachersreferences.Read and discuss ingroups.

GetforyourpupilsYoungTalk

teacher talk october 2010

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