During the NRM nomination rally for President Museveni at Kololo, the remarks made by some top leaders about the ongoing teachers’ strike were not only unfortunate but deeply regrettable. For leaders of their stature to trivialise such a serious national crisis by comparing government teachers’ salaries to those in private schools is an insult to our hardworking teachers.
They mock teachers, suggesting that because private schools pay less, government should not pay teachers adequately. That is not leadership. If indeed private schools were the benchmark for government policy, then are these same leaders suggesting that private schools also pay science teachers five times more than arts teachers? Do private schools perpetuate the same absurd salary disparities? And if government schools are as well facilitated as our leaders claim, why don’t the children of our leaders attend UPE or USE schools? This is hypocrisy of the highest order-leaders prescribing for ordinary Ugandans what they themselves cannot consume. It is like giving food to a neighbour that you cannot eat yourself because you suspect it is poisoned!
Let us not forget that striking is a right protected under labour laws such as the Employment Act. Teachers have always given the government ample time and due notice before laying down their tools. They have knocked on every door of dialogue, but instead of being listened to, they are being mocked and ridiculed. What more do we want teachers to do-bleed on the streets before their voices are heard? Worse still, by making such careless remarks during the unveiling of our NRM flagbearer, these leaders were effectively shooting the party in the foot. They sent a dangerous message to teachers and Ugandans at large-that the NRM is insensitive to their suffering.
The real problem in this country is not President Museveni. The problem is the coterie of leaders who surround him, shielding him from the truth. The Bible tells us, ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ It is only by telling the President the truth that we can build a fairer, stronger Uganda. If we claim that arts subjects are irrelevant, why do we still teach them in our curriculum? The sciences cannot stand without the language of instruction, English. A biology or physics teacher still relies on the English teacher. Primary school teachers-who lay the foundation for all subjects-are paid the same regardless of whether they teach sciences or humanities, yet in secondary schools you find science teachers earning more than their own headmasters. What kind of skewed policy is this?
As a teacher and as a leader, I say without fear: this policy is unfair, divisive, and poorly thought through. I strongly believe that the President was misadvised, and that there is urgent need for review. Arts teachers, primary school teachers, technical and vocational instructors all deserve better. They deserve equality, equity, and respect.
President Museveni has always stood for fairness and development. It is our duty as leaders to advise the President truthfully and responsibly. Shielding him from reality is not loyalty-it is betrayal. True loyalty lies in telling him the truth so that he can take corrective action. Teachers are not the enemy of the state. They are the backbone of our nation. To undermine them is to undermine Uganda’s future. This strike has come at a time when we are at the beginning of a budget process. It is only wise that teacher’s concerns are well addressed and catered for!