Parliament Passes National Teachers Bill Without Degree Requirement — But Teachers Who Violate Standards Now Face Five Years In Jail

Parliament has passed the National Teachers Bill after removing one of its most contentious provisions — a clause that would have made a bachelor’s degree in education a mandatory requirement for registration as a teacher in Uganda.

The decision, reached after heated debate in the House, reflects a compromise between the need to raise professional standards in Uganda’s teaching sector and the practical reality that thousands of practising teachers entered the profession through certificate and diploma pathways years ago, and cannot now be penalised for qualifications that were valid when they joined.

But while the degree requirement controversy dominated the headlines, the Bill passed with several other significant provisions that will reshape how teaching is regulated in Uganda — including a five-year prison sentence for teachers who violate ethical standards.

Why The Degree Clause Was Removed

The original Bill contained Clause 28, which would have prescribed degree qualification as a fixed eligibility requirement for teacher registration in the legislation itself. Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, presenting the positions of the select committee appointed to harmonise the Bill’s controversial clauses, proposed replacing this with a more flexible provision.

Under the amended approach, the Minister of Education and Sports — in consultation with the Teachers Council and the National Council for Higher Education — will prescribe eligibility requirements for teacher registration through statutory instruments rather than through the Act itself. This allows standards to be updated over time without requiring Parliament to amend the law each time qualifications frameworks evolve.

“Under the new law, we are saying the minister, in consultation with the National Teachers Council, shall set the qualifications for one to teach. The minimum qualifications will be included in the regulations,” Attorney General Kiwanuka explained.

The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, chaired the House through the vote, which agreed to the proposal.

Why MPs Opposed The Original Clause

The removal of the fixed degree requirement followed sustained pushback from legislators who argued that the original clause would unfairly punish teachers who had legitimately entered the profession through certificate and diploma routes under Uganda’s historical education systems.

“That will lock out so many categories. So many teachers out there do not have degrees because of many circumstances. It is now unfair for you to come up and insist that they should get degrees, even where you cannot facilitate them,” said Erute South MP Jonathan Odur, capturing the sentiment of many colleagues.

Several MPs noted that current teachers should not be punished for historical education systems that allowed Grade III, Grade V, and diploma qualifications. They argued that if the government wants teachers to upgrade their qualifications, it should provide salary commensurate with a degree qualification, put in place programmes for teachers to acquire degrees, and ensure the cost is borne by government.

MP Joseph Ssewungu argued that teachers should not be mandated by law to have a degree to teach — the Government should instead encourage gradual upgrading. “Where the Government requires a degree, the Government should provide a salary commensurate with a degree qualification,” he said.

Lawmakers also objected to Clause 28(1)(a), which would have made a person eligible for registration only if they possessed a degree in education — wording that MPs said would automatically lock out experienced teachers who entered service under previous qualification frameworks.

The House agreed that teachers already in the profession with certificates and diplomas should be urged to upgrade within ten years, with the cost borne by government.

Internship Requirement Also Dropped

Parliament also dropped the mandatory one-year internship requirement for teachers under Clause 29, with the committee recommending its removal on grounds that requiring both internship and school practice would be unfair and costly.

Brighton Barugahane, Commissioner in charge of education policy and research at the Ministry of Education, confirmed that the Bill has empowered the education minister to set minimum qualifications for teaching. He said minimum qualifications will be clearly set out in subsidiary regulations, which are yet to be developed.

He also clarified that the new law has scrapped the one-year internship that had been proposed on top of three years of teacher training.

What The New Law Does Require

While the degree mandate was removed, the Bill passed with a number of substantive requirements that will significantly change how teaching is regulated.

All teachers must now maintain school practice — which should be done within the course period. The law mandates that all teachers undertake continuous professional development before they renew their teaching licence. Teaching licences must be renewed every four years to ensure teachers remain in line with minimum standards. Attorney General Kiwanuka insisted that no one should enter a classroom to teach without a licence. The grace period for renewing a teaching licence has been extended from two years to four years.

A competence test will be required for teachers from foreign countries who intend to teach in Uganda before registration. The provision should be explicit if the ministry’s intention is to target foreign teachers, legislators noted.

Five Years In Prison For Ethical Violations

One of the most significant provisions of the passed Bill is the penalty structure for teachers who violate ethical standards.

Upon conviction, a teacher who breaches ethical standards will be imprisoned for five years or pay a fine of Shs5 million. Parliament also backed the suspension of teaching licences for up to one year for offenders found guilty of teaching without authorisation. Individuals who contravene licensing provisions face both financial and professional sanctions aimed at strengthening regulation of the teaching profession.

What The National Teachers Bill Is Designed To Do

According to the Bill, its main objectives are to promote, maintain, and protect ethical standards in the teaching profession; to regulate the teaching profession in Uganda; to provide an institutional framework for implementing policies, decisions, and directives issued by the minister regarding teachers; to promote continuous professional development; and to provide for career growth and progression within the teaching profession.

The House left the power to exempt a teacher from being licensed to the minister — MPs said people who should be exempted include teachers undergoing practice and those who may come for a few days to give a lecture.

Teachers React

The response from practising teachers has been broadly supportive of the degree requirement’s removal, though with a clear recognition that upgrading qualifications remains personally important.

Mary Nakimbugwe, a nursery school teacher, supported the decision, saying it will support research and innovation in schools. “The more you improve your qualifications, the better you become. I was a Grade III teacher as a certificate holder, but recently, when they started talking about these reforms, I went back and enrolled for a diploma and graduated. Now, I’m preparing to go back to enrol for a degree,” she said. “I urge my colleagues to do the same. Save the little money you have and go back to school.”

Gloria Abba Namuddu, another nursery teacher, acknowledged the reforms but raised the financial barrier: “I personally tried to upgrade, but did not have funds. We should be given more time.”

Both teachers approved of the ten-year transitional period as a positive provision for the profession.

What This Means For Education Students

For students currently pursuing Bachelor of Education degrees at Makerere, Kyambogo, and other universities across Uganda, the Bill’s passage — while removing the mandatory degree clause — does not diminish the value of their qualification. The minister’s power to set registration requirements through regulations means that degree holders will almost certainly enjoy an advantage in registration and career progression as those regulations are developed.

The message for education students is consistent with what the government has been signalling through the teacher salary enhancement plans announced earlier this year: Uganda wants better-qualified teachers, is willing to pay them better, and is building a regulatory framework to professionalise the sector. A degree in education positions graduates well within that framework, regardless of what the minimum requirement turns out to be.