KAMPALA, UGANDA: Barely a month after President Museveni raised salaries for medical workers, Science teachers across Uganda have threatened to lay down their tools due to government’s failure to effect their salary increment.
The teachers want the Public Service ministry to implement the presidential directive and Cabinet resolutions of August 24, 2021, of enhancing salaries for all scientists, including science teachers, to Shs4m for the newly-appointed degree holders and Shs3m for diploma holders.
According to Mr. Aron Mugaiga, the secretary-general of the National Executive Council for the Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union (UPSTU), they have planned to start their industrial action effective Monday, May 09, 2022, the date on which students are expected to report back for the second term.
In a press statement seen by this website, Mr. Mugaiga noted; “Our efforts to have meetings with the ministry to resolve this matter amicably in all our letters dated January 17 and April 7, 2022, have all fell on deaf ears. We, therefore, tend to lay down our tools until our concerns are addressed.”
The teachers now demand that all the funds meant for salary enhancement for science teachers, tutors, instructors, lecturers, and laboratory technicians in schools that have been diverted to boost salary enhancement of other scientists in other sectors be reverted to them.
It should be noted that government previously allocated Shs400b in the budget to enhance salaries for all scientists, including science teachers and medical workers. Of the Shs400b, Shs111b had been earmarked to enhance salaries for science teachers and Shs27b for scientists in tertiary institutions.
When contacted over the impending sit-down strike, the spokesperson for the Education ministry, Dr Dennis Mugimba, said the Ministry is not aware of the pending strike but promised that they would look into the welfare of science teachers.
President Museveni recently why speaking during this year’s International Labour Day celebrations at Kololo re-echoed that he was in support of increasing salaries for science teachers and that the arts teachers shall be considered later.
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