Professional impotence: Impact of alcoholism on secondary school teachers in Uganda

  • Aloysius Rukundo Mbarara University of Science and Technology
  • Justine Magambo University of Cologne
Keywords: Alcoholism, cultural implications, alcoholism, teachers, teaching profession, Uganda

Abstract

Rukundo A. & Magambo J. (2013). Professional impotence: Impact of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers in Uganda. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(2), 69-74. doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104)

Aims: We conducted this study to explore the impact of alcohol consumption on teachers’ jobs in Uganda. Specifically, we investigated the types of alcohol consumed by schoolteachers, reasons for alcohol abuse among teachers, justifications for mixing different types of drinks while drinking, and the effects of alcohol abuse on secondary schoolteachers. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive.

Participants: We involved 54 teachers (79.6% males and 20.4% females) in focus group discussions (FGDs) and four teachers (all male) in in-depth interviews.

Measurement: Interviews were conducted to validate the data from FGDs as done by vanTartwijk, den Brok, Veldman and Wubbels (2008). Thematic analysis was employed to describe themes and emerging trends.

Results: Data gathered from both in-depth interviews and FGDs show that teachers in Uganda drink a variety of “local” and “exotic” types of alcohol, for a variety of reasons. Results also indicate that during drinking sessions, teachers mix drinks for different reasons, but mainly to increase or decrease the potency of alcoholic drinks, depending on their types. All participants mentioned that over-consumption of alcohol negatively affects the teacher’s job and career in ways that include poor performance, neglect and loss of job.

Conclusion: While teachers in Uganda drink many types of alcohol for apparently “good” reasons, those teachers who over-drink eventually fall into job inefficiency.

Author Biographies

Aloysius Rukundo, Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Department of Educational Foundations and Psychology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
Justine Magambo, University of Cologne

University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany 

Published
2013-08-19
How to Cite
Rukundo, A., & Magambo, J. (2013). Professional impotence: Impact of alcoholism on secondary school teachers in Uganda. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(2), 69-74. https://doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i2.104
Section
Article