Supporting Teacher Performance during Curriculum Reform: The Role of Teacher Welfare in Private Secondary Schools in Kampala
Hamidu Lumu
Islamic University in Uganda
Faculty of Education
Email: lumuhamid@gmail.com
Abstract: Curriculum reforms introduce changing pedagogical and professional expectations for teachers, making the organisational conditions supporting their instructional performance particularly important. This study examined the relationship between teacher welfare and teacher performance in private secondary schools in Kampala, Uganda, focusingon permanent housing, remuneration, and professional development opportunities. A quantitative correlational design was employed. From a study population of 2,400 teachers and school administrators, data were collected from 314 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire with satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .88) and content validity (CVI = .86). Pearson’s product-moment correlation analysis was used to examine relationships between the three dimensions of teacher welfare and teacher performance. Statistically significant positive relationships were observed between teacher performance and permanent housing (r = .567, p < .001), remuneration (r = .675, p < .001), and professional development opportunities (r = .676, p < .001). Professional development opportunities and remuneration exhibited the strongest associations with teacher performance, while permanent housing showed a moderate positive association. These results indicate that teacher performance is associated with both the material and professional conditions surrounding teachers’ work. This relationship is particularly relevant during curriculum reform, when teachers are expected to respond to changing pedagogical, assessment, and professional demands. The study highlights the need for private secondary schools to adopt a comprehensive approach to teacher support that combines sustained professional development with adequate remuneration and appropriate housing support. By linking teacher welfare to the organisational conditions surrounding teachers’ work, the study broadens discussions of curriculum reform beyond pedagogical preparedness and instructional resources to the conditions necessary for sustaining effective teacher performance.
