ARTICLE INSIGHT
An independent evaluation conducted by UWEZO Uganda between February and November 2025 has confirmed that our teacher motivation focused approach, which puts the power into teachers’ hands to improve learning, works. In our pilot school of 31 teachers and 1,816 (1,045 girls) learners, we saw statistically significant improvements across English, Lumasaba, and Mathematics.
Key highlights include:
- Mathematics: Learners were 4 times more likely to reach a higher proficiency level at end-line.
- English Literacy: P2 and P3 learners’ odds of improving increased by a staggering 11.5 times.
- Ethno-Maths: The odds of a child reaching higher proficiency in real-world problem-solving were 2.6 times higher. These results are even more significant in light of the teachers participating in a national strike over several weeks in September and October 2025, around poor teacher pay
Addressing the “Elephant in the Classroom”
We founded Power Teachers Africa (PTA) to tackle the most urgent driver of poor learning outcomes: teacher absenteeism, which affects over 52% of teachers in Uganda on any given day (World Bank, 2023, 2025).
Community engagement: We work closely with the School Management Committee, the Parent Teachers Association, who learned how they can support teachers and realise better learning outcomes for their children.
Financial Literacy: Practical training, supported by Junior Achievement Uganda, helps teachers manage their resources effectively.
System Embedding: We ensure our work is integrated into national priorities, specifically aligning with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) Teacher Incentive Framework and National Teacher Policy, and worked closely with the district education office, inspectors and coordinating centre tutors [in service teacher educators].
Resilience in a Time of Crisis
These achievements are even more remarkable because they were realized during one of the most challenging years for development finance. Following the closure of USAID in February 2025 and widespread donor budget cuts from numerous bilateral and multilateral and other funders, our organization faced an “impossibly difficult” environment. We have been sustained by the extraordinary commitment of our team. Our Executive Team and Board of Directors volunteered countless hours, covered their own travel and accommodation costs, and invested personal resources to ensure we could continue serving teachers and learners. This result is a testament to their unwavering belief that teacher motivation matters.
We believe that no matter how well-designed an intervention is, it cannot succeed if the teacher is not present. Our Power Teachers for Learning (PTL) model addresses this by putting power back into teachers’ hands through a cost-effective, “just enough” approach that costs less than the USD 4.80per child per annum benchmark for affordable government programming.
How We Do It: The PTL Model
Our model focuses on four interconnected pillars designed to restore teacher dignity and agency:
Digital CPD: We provide school internet access and a curated menu of self-paced, mobile-friendly training courses, specifically Enabel Uganda-specific courses and Teach2030 courses.
Motivational and Non-monetary Incentives: We offer small monetary transport token payments linked to daily attendance and bonuses for student learning gains. Non monetary incentives include professional development using digital CPD, improved learning, and recognition
Looking Ahead
While we celebrate these gains, we know our work is just beginning. To scale this model across Uganda, our next priority is to continue to work with MoES to develop a custom mobile app, that includes digital courses, which can then be completed offline on the app, as well as automating attendance verification and payment, reducing administration time to almost zero. We also want to develop original digital teacher training courses. These resources will specifically address the gaps we have identified in currently available free digital content, ensuring that professional development is contextually relevant and tailored to the unique realities of Ugandan classrooms. Our goal is to create a high-quality suite of e-learning resources that can usefully support the growth of teachers not only in Uganda but across Africa. We have proven that when you trust, support, and motivate teachers, they transform children’s lives. Thank you for standing with us. Together, we are proving that teachers are the key.