Bapist Twesige, the life-skills team lead at Maliba Secondary School in Kasese District, faced a personal challenge that affected how he responded to difficult situations. He struggled to manage stress and often made radical decisions when confronted with problems. This was especially challenging in a school where student strikes were rampant and required leaders to respond calmly and work together to find solutions.

Twesige’s approach began to change after he received training in life skills. The training equipped him with communication, self-expression, coordination and teamwork skills. It also helped him understand the importance of managing stress before making decisions. He learned that effective leadership requires listening to others, communicating clearly and involving colleagues in addressing challenges.

Putting these skills into practice enabled Twesige to change the way he handled difficult situations. Instead of making radical decisions, he began communicating better with other teachers and working as part of a team. The improved coordination among teachers enabled the school to respond to tensions more effectively. Although strikes had previously been rampant, the school is now able to deal with such situations better.

Twesige’s experience also changed his understanding of who needs life-skills education. He observed that life skills are often considered relevant only to students, yet teachers face stressful situations that require the same abilities.

“People think that life skills are only for students, but teachers need them too.”

Twesige’s story shows that life-skills training can bring meaningful change to school leadership. The skills he acquired have enabled him to manage stress and respond to challenges more constructively.

Twesige’s story is part of a much bigger effort by Enabel in Uganda through which more than 300 teachers have been trained in life skills under the WeLearn-WeTeach -Boosting equal learning opportunities project. The project is funded by the European Union and the Government of Belgium.