Africa-Press – Uganda. Science teachers yesterday began a nation-wide strike to protest government’s failure to increase their salaries as promised by President Museveni.
The strike coincides with the reopening of schools for second term and mainly affects government schools.
The teachers want the Public Service ministry to implement the presidential directive and Cabinet resolutions of August 24, 2021, of enhancing salaries for all scientists, including science teachers, to Shs4m for the newly-appointed degree holders and Shs3m for diploma holders.
Science teachers said they are fewer, difficult to replace and a higher pay would boost their morale and welfare, which combined will improve performance in sciences in national examinations.
In Arua City, some of the teachers gathered at West Nile Golf Club to interact with each other while others ran personal errands.
In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, Mr Paulino Angutoko, the West Nile regional coordinator for Uganda Professional Science Union (UPSTU), said: “We will continue to engage the government on matters of our welfare where the President made several public pronouncements.”
“We are disappointed by the government’s games. The money is not even reflected in the budget. By now, we would have been teaching Biology, Physics, and ICT [but due to this pay raise failure] we shall continue with this strike until we are treated in a better way,” he added.
Mr Angutoko said they are not settling for anything less than Shs4m which he said should be uniformly paid out to eligible teachers.
Another Science Teacher, Mr Alfred Nyakuni, aka Nyax, said: “Last time, people in Tororo ate rats to get a district. We are also going to sit at home or do private work in order to demand for our share as promised by the government.”
In Masindi District, the head teacher of Bwinjanga Secondary School, Mr Edward Kabwiima, said he has only two science teachers on government payroll.
“Those not on the government payroll can’t strike and fortunately, those on the government payroll are in management positions of deputy head teacher and director of studies,” he said.
Mr Joseph Rukundo, the head teacher of Kiyuya Seed Secondary School, said nine science teachers at the institution following a meeting with him agreed to resume teaching.
“… I am happy with [them] as we wait for the government to solve their problems,” he said.
At Biiso War Memorial Secondary School in Buliisa District, many of the science teachers did not show up at work yesterday.
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At Butiaba Seed Secondary School, the head teacher, Mr Julius Beta, said out of seven science teachers, only three reported to work.
“I am still waiting for more to come because others come from distant places, and I hope they are still travelling to the school,” he said.
The head teacher of Bugungu Secondary School, Mr Charles Mbabazi, said he has five science teachers but only three reported to work yesterday.
In Kigezi Sub-region, about 800 registered science teachers said they will not go to class.
The Kigezi regional chairman for the science teachers, Mr Edison Tumuhereze, confirmed the development, saying they will resume teaching only when the government fulfils the promise to raise their pay.
“[The Ministry of] Public Service has refused to honour this and has instead kept paying Shs1.2m for bachelor’s degree holders and Shs900,000 for diploma holders,” he said.
In Mpigi District, although some of the teachers did not report for duty yesterday, school administrators said they were not sure if those absent were away due to the strike.
“Being the first day of the term, they could be having other engagements like taking their children to schools,” Ms Barbra Namuganga, the head teacher Kibuuka Memerial Secondary School, said.
At Sserwanga Lwanga Memorial, Bishop Danstan and Bukasa Senior secondary schools in Kalangala District, no science teacher entered the classroom.
Some teachers, who preferred anonymity, told Daily Monitor that they will not report for duty until their concerns are addressed.
“We are still waiting for the official communication from our umbrella body, the Uganda National Professional Science Teachers Union,” a female teacher said.
Mr Patrick Kaboyo, an educationist, said: ‘‘I am not a supporter of a discriminatory policy to pay others better than the rest; we need to have a harmonisation of salaries across the board because if you pay some better than others, you cause unnecessary clashes which affect service delivery.”
In Wakiso, Mr Frederick Kiyingi, the district education officer, said they have been engaging the teachers not to lay down their tools and a good number of them have heeded to their call.
“By striking now, they will be doing a disservice to our children who have just reported back to school,” he said.
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Ms Sylvia Namanda, the deputy head teacher Kijabwemi Church of Uganda Secondary School in Masaka, said: “A reasonable number of [science] teachers had turned up for work and were ready to serve, although the students had not yet reported.”
At St Mugaga Secondary School, Kyanamukkaka in Masaka District, the head teacher, Ms Peace Magoba, said all the teachers, including those that teach science subjects, showed up on the first day.
In Jinja, the head teacher of Busoga College Mwiri, Mr Paul Butono, said the turn up of science teachers was encouraging.
“But we are working normally and so far [we] have no teachers who have boycotted their roles because the government delayed to increase their salaries,’’ he said.
At Kiira College Butiki, also in Jinja City, science teachers have all turned up.
Some of the teachers, who declined to be named, said the school gives them allowances.
Govt reacts
The Public Service ministry Permanent Secretary, Ms Catherine Bitarakwate, in a February 21 letter, said she submitted a request for Shs111b for additional gratuity enhancement for scientists in the 2022/2023
Financial Year.
“The ministry was requested to allocate and disaggregate Shs400b for enhancement of health workers and scientists as directed by President Museveni and Cabinet for Financial Year 2022/2023,” she said.
Her line minister, Mr Muruli Mukasa, in a May 6 letter noted that “[the] government is committed to salary enhancement of science teachers and calls upon the UPSTU (Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union) leaders and their members to halt the industrial action and continue to render services as the matters are being addressed”.
Mr Mukasa said apart from demand by science teachers, the government is committed to enhancing remuneration for head teachers and deputy head teachers with science qualifications.
“This is a recognition of the additional teaching duties whereby they conduct science lessons besides the administrative roles that they have,” he said.
*Compiled by Philip Wafula, Felix Warom Okello, Robert Muhereza, Andrew Mugati, Ismail Bategeka, Tausi Nakato, Abubaker Kirunda, Denis Edema, Al Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Ivan Ssenabulya, Malik F Jjingo, Sylvester Ssemugenyi, and Joseph Kiggundu
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