By Mike Rwothomio

The Nebbi District NGO Forum (NDNGOF) is advancing the institutionalization of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) across Zombo District’s primary schools, aiming to embed collaborative teacher development into the district’s education management system for lasting improvements in teaching quality and pupil performance.

Oweka Jude Deogratius, Program Manager at NDNGOF, presented the initiative during a District Institutionalization Workshop under the Alochi Ku Somo II Project early this week.

The workshop seeks to formalize district ownership of the PLC approach, orient education stakeholders on its methodology and achievements, and secure endorsement for its integration into existing support supervision and school improvement structures.

Established in June 2001, NDNGOF is a network of 85 civil society organizations operating across Nebbi, Zombo and Pakwach Districts. Its vision is a well-coordinated, vibrant and strong civil society in the greater Nebbi region.

The forum coordinates development interventions, including education programs, to strengthen local systems and promote sustainable community impact.

The three-year Alochi Ku Somo II Project (2025–2027), launched in February 2025, is implemented by a consortium of CEFORD, NDNGOF and LICO with funding from CO: OPERAID Switzerland. Its goal is to improve basic school education in Zombo District.

According to Alfred Ogenmungu, project officer at the Nebbi NGO-forum, Professional Learning Communities are structured teacher groups that collaborate to refine instructional practices, share experiences, solve classroom challenges and enhance learner outcomes.

The PLC model was first introduced in Zombo in 2022 by Hifadhi Africa Organization and has since been scaled across government-aided primary schools. It emphasizes continuous professional development, peer support, classroom observation with feedback, and collective responsibility for learning results—using existing school and district structures for a cost-effective, locally owned approach.

He said PLC rollout has been completed in all targeted schools in Zombo, adding that teacher capacity building has reached 1,028 educators through Training of Trainers (68 teachers: 24 female, 44 male), multiplication training (240 teachers: 52 female, 188 male) and school-level orientations (720 teachers: 156 female, 564 male).

Governance structures have been established at school, sub-county and district levels and PLC indicators have been integrated into classroom support supervision tools, collaborative development of teaching and learning materials has been promoted, and participation has supported teacher professional growth and promotions.

Mr Patrick Bikadhu Othuma, the Zombo District Senior Education Officer, called for project sustainability to create a long-lasting impact in schools.

Many of the PLC beneficiaries shared success stories of the initiative.

The PLC Modalities include formation of executive committees at district and sub-county levels, assessment of best practitioners by Coordinating Centre Tutors (CCTs), Associate Assessors (AAs), the executive committee and NDNGOF, review meetings, and an awards system.

The organization has allocated UGX 12 million for PLC recognition, to be presented at the Annual District PLC Conference. Awards will cover best school, best teacher and outstanding teachers across four centre coordination levels.

District-level PLC executives provide overall leadership, monitor implementation, coordinate reporting and stakeholder engagement, and mobilize resources for sustainability.

A progress report covering 19 June to 6 August 2026 tracked activity across 92 government-aided primary schools via an executive WhatsApp platform.

NDNGOF pledged a continuous support to district leaders, education managers, school heads and partners in embedding the approach so that collaborative professional learning becomes a permanent feature of education quality improvement in Zombo District.

Stakeholders during the engagement

Mike Rwothomio is the news editor at Zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub for African news trends and updates.