In the heart of Uganda’s refugee settlements, where overcrowded classrooms and limited resources make the teacher–student ratio very low, positive changes are unfolding. Teacher Learning Circles (TLCs) are empowering teachers, bridging the teacher shortage gap, and nurturing inclusive, quality education for all. In these small, collaborative groups, qualified teachers and volunteers regularly meet to reflect on their teaching practices, share lesson planning strategies, discuss classroom management challenges, and learn from each other’s experiences. Although schools require fully qualified and trained teachers, recent aid cuts have forced many teachers to abandon the profession due to reduced or no pay. This has led to finding alternative support, such as absorbing community volunteers in schools, to ensure continuity of learning. TLCs provide practical mentorship from experienced peers, bridging the skills and knowledge gap. Teacher Learning Circles have improved not only teaching, but also the relationships between students and communities. Teachers feel valued and supported and they handle conflict in a calm way that contributes to peaceful coexistence. These values are passed on to the learners and eventually their families and communities. Whether trained or volunteering, TLCs have provided a space to grow, connect, and lead. By joining or starting a Teacher Learning Circle, schools have become part of a movement that brings hope, healing, and quality education to children of all backgrounds. ‘We are professionals from different fields sharing knowledge freely. This has diversified my teaching methods and improved how I relate to students,’ said Amayo Hillary, who teaches at the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Yumbe District. TLCs directly support the achievement of SDGs in the following ways: SDG4: Quality Education They improve teaching quality, promote inclusive practices, and strengthen teacher retention, ensuring every child receives equitable and effective education. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being Teachers trained in TLCs report better stress management and psychosocial support skills, which benefits both educators and learners. SDG 5: Gender Equality TLCs promote gender-sensitive teaching and empower female teachers, contributing to safer and more inclusive learning environments. In the Teacher Learning Circle, collaboration turns shared challenges into shared victories. BY Philip Talemwa Transformative Education Coordinator and Project Lead Danida Strategic Partnership II, Oxfam Uganda.

Janice Mullan, President of the Ulster Teachers’ Union 2025-2026, Literacy Lead Teacher in an EOTAS (Education Other Than At School Centre) supporting students who find it impossible to sustain their mainstream placement due to severe anxiety, diagnosed mental health issues or just not feeling good enough. In the quiet classrooms and creative spaces of EOTAS centres, some of the most transformative work in education is taking place, not just in literacy and numeracy, but in relationships, resilience and hope. My class sizes are smaller than most, and for my pupils who have been excluded, disengaged or whose circumstances make mainstream schooling unbearable, our centre is a vital second chance at whose heart lies the spirit of Sustainable Development Goal 4: ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Education should reach every learner, whatever their background, challenge or story. I tell every student that their story is their ‘superpower’; they are here, inspiring everyone around them. All arrive in my classroom carrying emotional trauma or fractured family relationships or experiences of bullying and social isolation. All feel that, academically, life is over for them and that they will never be able to attend college or get a job; how sad is that at just fifteen years old? And so, relationship education, rooted in emotional literacy, is a central pillar to my teaching, as is the positive relationship which is necessary if the student is to not only survive, but thrive. Confidence in spelling, grammar and vocabulary increase, as if by magic, with growth in self-esteem and a sense of belonging. At the moment in Northern Ireland, we are reviewing assessment. I hope the aspirations of SDG 4 do form part of this. The psychological and emotional needs of our students must be addressed by teaching them to question and thus understand their feelings and thereby, themselves, in order to allow them to develop and carve out a sustainable future for themselves. For these students, education is not just inclusive, it’s truly transformative. The ideal of inclusion is practised daily by advocating and modelling empathy, sensitivity, belief and compassion. When a young person with severe anxiety finds the courage to walk into a class again, when they begin to smile, trust and offer their ideas and opinions, that is progress of the highest kind. One of the most successful learning activities was an integration programme with a small group of 15 to 16 year-old pupils from a neighbouring special school. These pupils had moderate learning difficulties, and we met once a week for an indoor games session, usually football or hockey. Even the most cynical and battle-scarred teenagers' emotional defences were broken down when they came into contact with pupils who were non-judgemental about designer clothes or iPhones. All pupils enjoyed learning and teaching how to dribble a ball and score a goal. This was true inclusion, built on sensitivity, empathy and fun interaction. Like all teachers in EOTAS, we work miracles, but we need resources to effectively meet the needs of young people experiencing emotional distress and anxiety; we need counselling, therapeutic support and specialist staff on site. Mental health support must not be seen as an optional extra, but as central to education for all. Education must be seen as teaching students to mature into caring, capable and connected individuals who value themselves and those around them. Assessment and data capture must acknowledge and value this. Teaching unions will continue to lobby those in power that inclusion is not just a theory, but a valuable, daily practice which travels far beyond its humble beginnings in the classroom. by Janice Mullan, President of the Ulster Teachers’ Union 2025-2026