PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of the interaction effect of perceived organizational support (POS) and self-efficacy (SE) with work engagement (WE) within the primary education industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper relies on structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS (V.22) to test and resolve the conditional hypothesis that fusion of POS and SE is necessary for WE.FindingsThe scale of effect of POS on WE depends on SE; hence, the assumption of nonadditivity is achieved. Precisely, the interaction of POS and SE is necessary for WE.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was based on a single research methodological approach, namely quantitative research methodology, which could have been affected the outcome of this investigation. Future studies could investigate WE interaction model through qualitative lens in order to provide a triangulation opportunity. Moreover, the findings from the current study are cross-sectional, and data were collected at a snapshot. Therefore, future research should consider the multiplicative effects studied in this paper across time.Practical implicationsAttempts to heighten WE levels, among government primary school teachers in Uganda, would require that management regularly ventures into finding a more practical and feasible fusion of POS with SE in order to provide significant levels of WE among employees of primary education industry.Originality/valueThis is the first study that tests the interactive effects of POS and SE on WE in Uganda's primary education industry.