Alcohol consumption and professional performance of primary school teachers in Terego District

Abstract

The research on alcohol consumption and professional performance of primary school teachers in Terego district considered; regularity of consumption, amount consumed, the type consumed as attributes of alcohol consumption, and preparation for teaching, classroom teaching and assessment, ensuring discipline in the learners as attributes of professional performance of primary school teacher. The research had the objectives of; (i) to establish the relationship between alcohol consumption and teacher preparation in the primary schools, (ii) to establish the relationship between alcohol consumption and effectiveness of classroom teaching by primary schools teachers in Terego district, (iii) to establish the relationship between alcohol consumption and management of discipline by primary school teachers in Terego district, and (iv) to identify the factors that promote alcohol consumption by primary school teachers in Terego district. The researcher adopted a cross-sectional survey research design and collected data using observation, survey, interviews and focus group discussions. The participants were sampled using stratified sampling strategy, purposive / judgmental sampling and snowball or chain sampling or network sampling. The main findings of the research include the following; Terego District has a significant proportion (72.7%) of teachers who take alcohol. Among these, male teachers, Catholics, teachers in the age bracket of 40-49 and who are divorced were the main consumers of alcohol . The most common alcoholic drinks consumed were the locally brewed Enguli (27.3%) followed by Malwa (19.3%). Of the aspects of teacher effectiveness, Teacher preparation (3.43) is the attribute of teacher professional performance most affected by alcohol consumption while management of discipline (3.81) is the least affected. Of the factors that promoted alcohol consumption by primary school teachers in Terego district, access-related factors (31%) were the most frequently cited and the least were profession related factors (18%). The researcher concludes that alcohol consumption has a significant negative effect on the professional performance of teachers in Terego district. The researcher recommends that in order to reduce the negative effect of alcohol consumption on teacher professional performance, Terego district local government puts in place bylaws and ordinances, and The parliament of Uganda to outlaw production of the cheap sacketed spirits and local brews; ; The office of the Chief Administrative Officer adopts a deliberate strategy to identity and support teachers suffering under the yoke of alcoholism to reduce alcohol consumption; the teacher training institutions integrate content on drugs into the professional training packages for teachers; purposeful transfers by the Chief Administrative Officer.