The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has called on East African Community (EAC) member states to formally allow teachers to move and work freely across the region.
The union says teachers should be able to seek employment in any EAC member state without facing unnecessary legal and administrative barriers.
Speaking to Bbeg Media at the UNATU headquarters in Kampala, the union’s general secretary, Filbert Baguma, said the movement of teachers within the region is currently taking place mainly through individual arrangements instead of a coordinated regional framework.
“I must state that currently the movement of teachers to other countries within the region is based on an individual level. We look forward to seeing this process formalised so that our teachers can fully benefit from the opportunities created by regional integration,” Baguma said.
The EAC comprises Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
Baguma said teachers across the region are members of the Federation of East Africa Teachers’ Associations, an umbrella body that advocates for the welfare and professional interests of teachers.
However, he noted that the education sector continues to face major challenges, including teacher shortages, inadequate investment and limited school infrastructure.
He said a formal framework allowing teachers to work across borders would help address staffing gaps while creating more employment opportunities for education professionals.
Baguma noted that the East African Common Market Protocol, which came into force in 2010, commits partner states to harmonise labour laws, eliminate discriminatory employment practices and guarantee the free movement of labour, persons, goods and services across the region.
He added that the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, adopted in 2001, also seeks to remove restrictions on the movement of workers and provides for the rights of residence and establishment among member states that ratify it.
According to Baguma, regional integration has also been supported by the East African passport, which has been in use since 1999. The passport allows citizens of partner states to travel within the region for up to six months, while discussions continue on its wider recognition as an international travel document.
Despite these regional agreements, Baguma said national immigration laws and work permit requirements continue to make it difficult for teachers to secure employment in neighbouring countries.
He also pointed to the lack of portability of social security benefits, saying teachers who move to another country often struggle to transfer or access their retirement savings and other employment benefits.
Baguma said removing these barriers would be an important step towards achieving the EAC’s vision of a fully integrated regional labour market where teachers and other professionals can freely access employment opportunities and enjoy equal benefits across member states.
