As Uganda joined the rest of the world in commemorating this year’s World Teachers’ Day, several teachers’ unions used the occasion to urge the government to prioritise improving teachers’ welfare and reform the country’s education system.
Mr Jackson Erima, the secretary general of the Uganda Liberal Teachers’ Union (ULITU), said low pay continues to frustrate teachers, forcing some to abandon their duties-an action he said unfairly disadvantages innocent learners.
‘I congratulate all the teaching fraternity upon reaching this day. Our biggest problem is the payment of our teachers, and it is worse among primary school teachers. A primary school teacher earns only Shs450,000 monthly, and yet the work is much. This should be increased to at least Shs1 million. We are appealing to the government to look into their welfare to ensure effective teaching and learning,’ Mr Erima said.
He noted that the ongoing teachers’ strike, led by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) over salary enhancement, has paralysed teaching and learning in most upcountry schools since the start of the third term-just as learners prepare for national and transitional examinations.
‘It is now over 20 days since this strike commenced on October 15, the day learners reported back for third term. We are getting stories that upcountry schools, especially the primary schools-99 percent of them-are not teaching. The students are not learning, yet they are going to sit for their finals. That is very unfortunate,’ he said.
He added: ‘What I agree with them is, yes, the pay is bad. But the timing of the strike was bad. These students are not learning, and some of them are going to do their final exams.’
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations will begin this week, with a briefing scheduled for October 10.
Mr Aron Mugaiga, the secretary general of the Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (UPSTU), echoed Mr Erima’s concerns, emphasising that the government must commit to continuously improving the welfare of all teachers.
“As we commemorate Teachers’ Day, we call for continued commitment by government to improve teachers’ working conditions through enhancing wages of the remaining teachers whose salaries were not enhanced and building teachers’ houses to accommodate them near schools,” Mr Mugaiga said.
He also called for compensation for teachers and lab assistants who suffer laboratory accidents, and urged the recruitment of more teachers to reduce workloads-measures he said would significantly improve working conditions.
Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of Unatu, said the strike remains in effect and that no amount of intimidation will deter their cause unless the government addresses their demand to increase arts teachers’ salaries by 300 percent, in line with their science counterparts.
Last week, the Public Service Minister, Mr Wilson Muruli Mukasa, issued a seven-day ultimatum for striking teachers to return to class, stating that the government had resolved to increase their pay by 25 percent in the next financial year-a proposal arts teachers continue to reject.
‘Of course, our teachers are at home, and being at home, they are simply communicating to governments and other stakeholders that they are disappointed by the way they have been treated,’ Mr Baguma said.
Currently, an arts teacher with a degree qualification earns a gross monthly salary of Shs1,078,162 and takes home Shs841,931, while their science counterpart earns Shs4 million gross and takes home Shs2,858,000.
An arts teacher with a diploma qualification earns Shs784,214 gross and takes home Shs639,108, compared to a science teacher who earns Shs2.2 million gross and takes home Shs1,616,000.
About World Teachers’ Day
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated annually on October 5 to honour the contributions of teachers. This year’s theme is: Recasting teaching as a collaborative effort.