Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) secretary general Filbert Bates Baguma has explained why he thinks that teachers of science should not be bundled under the category of scientists, and why they are not so special from other teachers.
Baguma’s Unatu is currently leading secondary school arts teachers and their primary school colleagues in a strike against salary enhancement disparities after President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s government increased salaries of science teachers, health officers and other scientists across the country.
But according to Baguma, while the work of teachers is to facilitate learning, there is a difference between teachers of science and scientists. First, the Unatu secretary general says that there is a difference between science teachers and teachers of science.
“Teaching science doesn’t make you a science teacher. Teaching English doesn’t make you an English teacher, you are a teacher of English,” he noted during a recent media interview on the ongoing industrial action.
He went on to explain why it is a mistake for President Museveni and his government to think that science teachers are special from arts teachers.
“When you teach Newton’s law, do you become Newton? You are getting his concepts and helping learners to understand them. That is your work, you are not coming up with your own laws; so you are not any different from a teacher of history,” Baguma explained.
He also reminded government on how complementary sciences and humanities or arts are, and why none of the two fields should be left behind.
He also wondered why government would prioritize science teachers and leave behind arts teachers yet both group go to the same universities, pay the same amounts of school fees, their academic programs have the same duration, and they do the same work — facilitating learning.
“We do agree that science is a tool for development but science and technology can’t go in isolation. The subjects that we teach at every level of education are complementary to each other,” argued Baguma.
“You can’t have a teacher earning Shs4m, you studied together, you are doing more or less the same work, maybe you are even more experienced than this teacher but he or she earns Shs4m and you earn Shs800,000.”
Meanwhile, the amount of money that President Museveni wants each arts teacher to be paid every month — as and when resources become available — has been revealed. (Read Story Here).
MORE ON ARTS TEACHERS’ STRIKE
In his budget speech read on June 14, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija announced that the salaries of science teachers, scientists and health workers will be increased in a ‘very big’ way starting July 2022. (Read Story Here).
Hours after Minister Kasaija read the budget for the 2022-23 Financial Year indicating a salary increment for teachers of science, arts teachers began their strike, making it clear that all teachers matter. (Read Story Here).
Government held talks with secondary school arts teachers and primary school teachers’ leaders under Unatu. After failing to convince the striking teachers to call off their industrial action, Museveni’s government through Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, resorted to threatening teachers to either return to class or be fired.
But secondary school arts and primary level teachers under Unatu have fired back at President Museveni’s government, making it clear that threats of being fired will not force them to end their strike. (Read Story Here).
A group of MPs have also openly supported the arts teachers’ strike and told Museveni’s government to present a supplementary budget to Parliament with the aim of increasing salaries. (Read Story Here).
Relatedly, more government employees’ unions have threatened to lay down their tools in solidarity with striking teachers if government fires them, meaning that there could some sort of national shutdown. (Read Story Here).
MORE ON SCIENCE TEACHERS’ SALARY INCREMENT
MORE ON SALARY INCREMENT CIRCUS
In order to improve service delivery and end the challenge of strikes over low pay, President Museveni’s government has proposed huge salary increments for teachers, doctors and other employees starting July 2022. (Read Story Here)
The proposed increments have left many people wondering if government will really fulfill this pledge and increase salaries by very high amounts.
For example, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has argued that the promise of salary increment is just ‘another lie.’ (Read Story Here).
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija recently said the money for increasing teachers’, doctors’ and other civil servants’ salaries was available. (Read Story Here).
In August 2021, cabinet approved salary increment for teachers, doctors and other health workers. (Read Story Here).
See the salary structure that had been proposed for the current financial year here.
UPDATED LIST: See Salary Structure for All Government Workers
Meanwhile, an NRM MP has angered teachers after telling them they are too poor to go on strike. (Read Story Here).
