Achola vows to champion teachers’ salary increment once elected to parliament

Pallisa, Uganda: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Woman MP Flag Bearer for Pallisa District, Ms. Catherine Achola, has pledged to lobby government to fulfill the long-delayed collective bargaining agreement for arts and primary school teachers who continue to demand salary enhancement.

Achola made the remarks during the burial of Mr. Lawrence Opaade, a retired teacher, at Opatakol Village in Gogonyo Sub-county on Monday, where she expressed disappointment at what she termed as “silent leadership” amid a worsening education crisis.

“It is shameful that leaders in decision-making positions remain quiet as the situation deteriorates. Our children have been home since September 15, 2025, and instead of solutions, we see blame games targeting teachers,” Achola said. “I beg teachers to humanitarianly help candidates’ classes at least to get fair grades.”

Achola, who hails from a teaching background, said her late father, Muzei Osupelem, was a teacher, giving her first-hand understanding of the hardships educators face. “I know how painful it is for a teacher earning UGX 420,000 after taxation to sustain a family of eight. It’s simply untenable,” she added.

Ms. Agnes Amoding, the Chairperson of UNATU Pallisa Branch, lauded Achola’s bold stance, saying many politicians shy away from defending teachers despite being well-positioned to influence policy.

“Parents have been misled to think our timing for demanding pay is wrong because it’s third term and political season. Yet, our General Secretary Filbert Baguma has consistently reminded government of its 2022 commitment,” Amoding said. “Nobody should claim to love children more than teachers — especially when parents can’t even provide them midday meals.”

She criticized Pallisa RDC Magid Dhikusooka, who had earlier urged teachers to ignore UNATU’s call and resume teaching, saying such comments ignore the dire realities on the ground. “There’s no teacher with two pairs of shoes. Some can’t even recall their bank PINs because their cards are with moneylenders,” she lamented.

Mr. George Oullo Omoding, former NRM District Chairperson and Director of Programs at Opaade’s burial, emphasized that the teachers’ concerns require urgent government attention. “Let’s aim for a win-win situation. Teachers aren’t demanding 300% like their science counterparts. Even doubling their salaries would restore dignity to the profession,” Omoding said.

Mr. Charles Richard Oduch, another mourner, questioned the government’s claims of economic growth amid failure to increase teachers’ pay. “If our GDP is at UGX 200 trillion, how can government say there’s no money for teachers? It’s contradictory,” Oduch remarked.

Meanwhile, Mr. Emmanuel Olebo of the FDC party told a local radio talk show that teachers should not expect any significant increment soon. “Even in the 2026/2027 budget framework, there’s no figure captured for teachers’ enhancement. Unless government makes a supplementary allocation, it will remain promises as usual,” Olebo said.

UNATU Pallisa Secretary for Publicity, Mr. Johnson Otimong, condemned teachers who broke ranks by secretly resuming classes for candidate pupils. “Those pretending to teach P7 for small incentives are betraying the struggle. It’s the same inequality that frustrates the entire system,” he said.

Mr Otimong, however, noted that performance in this year’s PLE may appear improved, given that fewer teachers are focusing intensively on smaller candidate classes, a scenario he described as “deceptive progress.”