Schools in Uganda suffered an 80-week closure due to Covid-19, which was the longest school closure anywhere in the world. To support teachers in maintaining education and their own learning during the pandemic, we engaged them through continuous professional development (CPD) sessions delivered over the radio.
To understand the extent to which teachers had been listening to these radio CPD sessions and their experiences, we conducted a teacher listenership survey in November-December 2021. With the participation of around 3,000 teachers across Uganda, the survey indicated that –
- 77% of teachers listened to every bi-weekly radio CPD session from STiR.
- 60% of teachers said that the socio-emotional well-being practices had helped them connect with their students and peers.
- 50% of teachers found that the review of previous teaching practices ensured continuous learning and professional development.
- 20-30% of teachers believed that usage of learning strategies ensured continued learning for students and helped them to support their learners remotely.
- 20% of teachers specifically mentioned experiencing professional growth through the CPD sessions.
- 60% of teachers experienced challenges with network or access to a radio.
Overall, teachers felt that our radio sessions had helped them tremendously during school closures. They were able to develop plans for remote learning, address limited student engagement due to distant interaction, maintain student-teacher relationships, and create an engaging learning environment for students despite the lack of classrooms and schools.
We are glad that STiR’s initiative to reduce learning loss during the pandemic positively impacted the teachers of Uganda. We’re grateful to all the teachers who participated in this survey, and we will continue to strive and make the teaching and learning experience even more enjoyable for everyone involved.
