Teachers’ strike to disrupt term
When teachers strike, learners lose. File photo
Kampala- Activities in public secondary schools are likely to be disrupted next week if government does not agree to harmonise teachers’ salaries as earlier negotiated before June 23.
The teachers, under their umbrella body, the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), yesterday maintained that while government increased salaries for other public servants in last week’s budget, they were sidelined.
According to Mr Filbert Baguma, the Unatu general secretary, the 20 per cent salary increment, which was allocated for post primary teachers in the budget, is an earlier commitment that the government had failed to honour in the previous financial year.
“Repayment of a debt cannot be considered an increment. We did not benefit anything in the 2018/2019 financial year. If they have enhanced all others and left out the teachers, we want to know where we are going because we all go to the same market,” Mr Baguma said.
He added: “The teachers at the weekend agreed to go on with the strike effective June 23. Even if it were third term, by giving government 90 days’ ultimatum, we should have reached a consensus. The government should be responsible for the consequences of the strike. We call upon all parents to support this cause. We find it difficult to mobilise teachers to concentrate in class without a positive consideration of their genuine concern.”
The second term is a critical period where teachers and students struggle to complete the syllabus and create room for revision before students sit end of year and national examinations.
Ministry not aware
However, the ministry of Education permanent secretary, Mr Alex Kakooza, yesterday said his office had not received any communication from the teachers.
The teachers also asked government to stop discriminating them on the basis of salaries but rather use individual qualifications to allocate their wages.
Initially, the President had proposed to triple salaries for science teachers leaving out their arts counterparts. But Parliament’s Committee on Education chaired by Mbale Woman MP Connie Nakayenze rejected the offer and insisted on equal salary distribution.
Officials of the Public Service, Finance and Education ministries later settled to recruit more science teachers instead of enhancing salaries for a single section of teachers. Reading the Budget last Thursday, Finance minister Matia Kasaija allocated Shs2.8 trillion to the Education sector.
In an earlier interview, Mr Kakooza said they agreed to recruit about 3,000 science and English language teachers and another 2,000 to work in the newly 100 grant-aided secondary schools.
