President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has met with the leaders of the Arts and Humanities teachers to discuss their industrial action regarding low pay which took place at State House Entebbe.
President Museveni who was accompanied by his wife and Minister for Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Kataha Museveni expressed appreciation to the striking teachers led by President of the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers’ Union, Ms Teopista Akello, decision to return to the classroom, noting that a cooperative spirit similar to that seen during the country’s past hardships could help resolve their grievances.
“During the war, we prioritised feeding the soldiers on guard duty to ensure everyone’s safety. This teamwork enabled us to persevere,” President Museveni said.
The President confirmed that the Arts teachers had agreed to call off their strike to resume their duties today July 1st after discussions where he encouraged them to return to work and collaborate with the government for a better future.
He recalled how, during the war, prioritizing the welfare of soldiers ensured national security and suggested that a similar model could benefit teachers and as part of the proposed solutions, the President highlighted plans to construct housing for teachers, offer free education for their children, and introduce a gradual 25% salary increase.
“Upon our return from the bush, we explored ways to thrive despite low wages, beginning with a payment of Shs 3.5 million to the Chief Justice, making him the highest earner,” He said.
The strike began on June 6th when government-employed Arts teachers laid down their tools to protest wage disparities and they later warned they would withhold students’ coursework submissions and withdraw from supervising termly continuous assessment projects for the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
The Arts teachers argued that their pay was significantly lower than that of Science teachers, despite holding similar qualifications.
Currently, an Arts teacher with a degree earns a gross monthly salary of Ugx 1,078,162, taking home Ugx 841,931 and a Science teacher with the same qualification earns Ugx 4,000,000 gross and takes home Ugx 2,858,000, while Diploma-holding Arts teachers earn Ugx 784,214 gross and take home Ugx 639,108, while their Science counterparts earn Ugx 2,200,000 gross with a net pay of Ugx 1,616,000.
The government has in the past made repeated promises to resolve the teachers pay imbalance, but a definitive timeline for harmonisation has not yet been established and President Museveni encouraged the educators to work alongside the government in developing long-term solutions, prompting their agreement to resume teaching and begin marking UNEB assessments.
