Prime
Museveni directs pay rise for science lecturers
President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni inspect exhibitions of different institutions of higher learning at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala on October 12, 2023. National Council for Higher Education was marking 20 years of establishment. PHOTO/ ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Prof Mary Okwakol, the executive director of NCHE, cited increased access to higher education and enrollment of students in tertiary
President Museveni has directed the government to increase salaries of lecturers teaching science programmes in public universities.
This order followed a statement by Prof Eli Katunguka, the Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University, who expressed concern over the challenges faced in recruiting and retaining senior lecturers in the science disciplines due to the more competitive compensation offered by private sector entities.
“If these are scientists and academicians, they must be paid what they will be paid in the private sector because we need them urgently,” the President said.
He made the remarks while presiding over the 20-year anniversary celebration of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) yesterday. The head of State was accompanied by the Education minister and the First Lady, Ms Janet Museveni.
Mr Museveni cited an example of Soroti Flying School, which was on the verge of closing after all tutors ran away over low pay, a problem he said was rectified when he intervened and increased their pay.
Earlier, Prof Katunguka, who also doubles as the chairperson of NCHE, had indicated that whereas the salaries of scientists were increased by the government, it does not equate to what the private sector offers them.
He said the shortages are mostly in engineering, architecture, and some Science programmes.
“We advertise for positions of senior lecturer, associate professors, and professors, but we do not attract applicants because these people are paid better in the private sector where they work,’’ Prof Katunguka said.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said they face similar challenges because the private sector offers juicy pay.
Prof Katunguka told the gathering that he was going to benchmark on how much private sector players pay professions and make a proposal to the government.
According to him, senior lecturers are paid about Shs8m. However, some sources in the market said senior engineers are paid above Shs12 million.
NCHE achievements
Prof Mary Okwakol, the executive director of NCHE, cited increased access to higher education and enrollment of students in tertiary institutions as one of the achievements registered in the last 20 years.
Statistics indicate that when the council started in 2003, there were only four public universities, seven private institutions and about 50 other tertiary institutions, a number she said has grown to 265 institutions of higher learning.
Prof Okwakol said the number of students in institutions has also grown from 80,000 to 270,000.
The number of programmes the Council has accredited since 2003 has also increased from 500 to 5,000. Of those, 37 percent have science programmes while 63 percent cater for arts.
Prof Okwakol, however, decried the low level of research output from universities and the number of PhDs produced annually. She asked the government to place more funds in research.
Education minister and First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni tasked NCHE to ensure there is quality education offered by higher institutions of learning, especially in science and technology programmes. She said quality should never be compromise at all cost.
