President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has announced his final decision on the arts teachers’ push for salary increment.
On July 04, Museveni and his wife Janet Kataaha Kainembabazi Museveni, who is also the minister of education and sports, met the leaders of the Uganda National Teacher’s Union (Unatu) in their regional clusters at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
After the meeting, Museveni insisted that government would not increase arts teachers salaries for now but would stick to a “science-led strategy.”
“I assured them that while government acknowledges the issues raised by the Arts teachers, we are also aware of salary issues from other workers; the army, Police officers, etc who are equally important to the growth and development of this country,” said Museveni.
“We have provided a position as government and pledged to competitively remunerate workers guided by a science-led strategy. This does not mean we have forgotten others, but we are choosing to prioritise the few and others can come later. We must finish one problem at a time.”
He openly told the arts teachers to return to class and await government’s decision to increase their salaries in subsequent financial years.
“The Arts teachers insist that we should use the available resources to improve salaries across the board, whilst this is possible, it does not solve the salary issue. It is okumemerera (sprinkling), where everyone will get a little and then next year everyone strikes,” said the president.
“We have a strategy and no one should disrupt us. We are aware of the issues and we are committed to handling them. Therefore, my advice to the teachers is that they should go back and teach.”
The president’s decision comes days after his wife Janet told striking teachers that there were over 30,000 jobless teachers on the streets who were willing to accept the ‘small pay’ and take up the teaching jobs if government fired those striking. (Read Story Here).
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry’s Education Service Commission (ESC) has shortlisted over 2,000 teachers of Geography, History, CRE, Fine Art and Economics/Entrepreneurship for government payroll jobs. (See List Here).
