Ministry cracks down on poor TELA performance

By Emmanuel Sekago

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Kedrace Turyagyenda, has directed school inspectors to intensify sensitisation efforts on the Teacher Effectiveness and Learner Achievement (TELA) system among teachers across the country.

Dr. Turyagyenda said inspectors must ensure teachers clearly understand how the digital monitoring system supports classroom management, tracks attendance, and improves overall teaching effectiveness.

“There shall be no excuses for poor performers. DEOs and inspectors have a great role to play in ensuring schools comply. This time, we do not want learners studying for seven years and then missing examinations. We do not want to see learners getting ‘X’ grades,” she said.

Her remarks came during a training workshop for inspectors of schools from Northern and West Nile districts held at Teso College Aloet in Soroti City.

The Ministry of Education and Sports warned schools, teachers, and district education officials against poor performance and non-compliance with the TELA system, stressing that sanctions will be imposed on defaulters.

Through the Directorate of Education Standards (DES), the ministry said schools and teachers who fail to effectively use the system risk disciplinary action, including salary-related penalties for non-compliant staff.

The warning followed the release of the Ministry’s TELA performance report for Term One 2026, which ranked the best and worst-performing regions, districts, and schools during the inspectors’ workshop in Soroti.

According to the report presented by Director of Education Standards, Francis Atima, urban schools generally performed better than rural and borderline schools.

The report highlighted poor performance among secondary schools across all local governments during the first term of 2026, with the Lango sub-region ranking last at only seven percent.

Districts including Oyam, Apac, Amolatar, and Otuke were listed among the worst performers in teacher attendance and teaching hours within the Lango sub-region.

“Hasn’t government done what it takes to ensure schools perform well? Where is the challenge preventing teachers from complying? The blame is now on inspectors of schools. You must seek alternatives that can help your schools improve performance on the TELA system,” Atima told participants during the workshop.

Despite the poor showing in some areas, the report noted improvement in primary schools across several sub-regions during Term One 2026. However, Elgon, Lango, and Toro were identified as regions still requiring significant improvement.

Inspectors of schools welcomed the proposal to use TELA performance reports as a basis for assessing and paying teachers, arguing that the move would strengthen accountability and improve service delivery in schools.

Abello Proscovia said the measure would compel teachers, inspectors, and education officials to take their responsibilities more seriously.

“If government implements this move, it will awaken lazy and non-complying officials, including inspectors who fail to supervise schools,” she said.

Inspectors also praised the TELA system for simplifying school supervision through improved digital data collection and monitoring.

However, they raised concerns over challenges affecting effective inspections, including poor internet connectivity and inadequate facilitation for routine monitoring activities.