Robinah Aloyocan, a Literature and English teacher at Nebbi Town College in Nebbi Municipality, Nebbi District in West Nile, always believed teaching was more than a job, it was her calling. From the time she first stood in front of a chalkboard, she knew shaping young minds was what gave her life meaning.
However at the beginning of June 2025, a wave of industrial action swept across Ugandan secondary schools. Arts teachers, frustrated by years of salary disparities compared to their science counterparts, laid down their tools. At Nebbi Town College, the staffroom buzzed with indignation. “Let them see how a school runs without us!” many teachers vowed.
But Robinah felt torn. She deeply understood her colleagues’ frustrations and agreed arts subjects were undervalued. Yet each day she thought about her S.4 class preparing for national exams. Who would guide them through the delicate nuances of poetry? Who would nurture their confidence in essay writing? For Robinah, her students’ futures outweighed every other concern.
It was around this same time that Robinah and her colleague DEL Loret were supposed to roll out term two School Education Leaders (SEL) institute for Nebbi district under the Teachers Changemaker Development Programme (TCMDP) as the focal persons. The TCMDP is an initiative aimed at building innovative, learner-centred practices and leadership in schools.
Her decision to continue teaching and to participate in the programme, however, was met with hostility. Some colleagues labelled her a traitor. “You’re weakening our struggle,” one senior teacher sneered. Others openly ridiculed her and the intimidation grew worse. But Robinah stood firm.
“I believe in fair pay,” she would tell them calmly, “but I also believe my learners cannot pause their dreams while we wait.”
She then requested the ASSHU chairperson to write letters of invitation to the headteachers to come for the SEL institute as it was the practice, and luckily enough the chairperson agreed to her plight and invited the headteachers and their deputies for the training. Robinah went further to do individual mobilization through phone calls explaining to the headteachers the need to attend this training.
On 23rd of June 2025, the district was able to successfully conduct its SEL institute amidst opposition from other teachers, ‘’…we were branded as those encouraging lessons since we invited the headteachers for the SEL. But am grateful a few of them turned up and the training went on well…’’ Robinah noted.
When she shared the success of her SEL institute amidst the industrial action, she received a lot of positive feedback from her other colleague DELs from the region. The Regional chairperson applauded her for her great efforts,
‘’I have now seen that some teachers are exceptional. I call this rational thinking and futuristic decision making. Thank you Loret and Robinah. You have risen above self and took the risk of being called betrayer. Thank you so much.’’
Looking back, Robinah acknowledges it was never easy. “It took courage to keep going amidst so much pressure. But seeing the SEL institute happening is a great success, I look forward to the network meetings and classroom observations.
Robinah’s story is a true testimony of intrinsic motivation and dedication even in the hardest of times.
