KAMPALA, UGANDA: President Museveni has delivered good news for science teachers and other scientists ahead of the salary increment in the next financial year leaving teachers of arts subjects in despair.
While delivering his speech at the commencement of the 72nd graduation ceremony at Makerere University on Monday, Museveni made it clear that government would prioritize salary enhancement for science teachers and advised their arts and humanities colleagues to wait.
The president, however, encouraged arts teachers not to lose hope, further assuring them that they will be considered in the future when funds become available.
“We insisted on giving good salaries to government scientists including teachers in the government Universities and secondary schools,” said Museveni in his virtual address streamed from Nakasero State Lodge. “This is not because we have forgotten the social scientists or art people. Not at all. It is because we can’t handle everything at ago. We have decided to start with the scientists.”
Besides the ‘limited resources’ issue, Museveni also explained why science teachers were more important than their arts colleagues.
“The reason we insist on science is that it’s the base of social-economic progress. The invention of fire caused big changes in society, the invention of the iron caused big changes, and gunpowder caused many changes in the world for good and evil,” Museveni lectured.
“So science is the base for social transformation. Scholars and philosophers are students of social change but the trigger for social change is science. I appeal to Ugandans to understand this.”
The arts teachers have also threatened to go on strike demanding salary increment after government promised to raise their science colleagues’ monthly earnings.
Cabinet was expected to meet on Tuesday (today) to discuss how the Shs495bn will be divided amongst thousands of government employees categorized as scientists.
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