DON’T TOUCH OUR MONEY! Science Teachers Tell Museveni Government as MPs Back Arts Teachers’ Salary Increment

The union of Ugandan science teachers has been following recent debates in Parliament on the increment of salaries of arts teachers with a lot of worry about an alleged move to divide the money meant for their huge salary increment among all teachers: those teaching arts as well as science subjects. 

This week, Parliament passed a resolution urging government to stop the discriminatory increment of salaries. This means that the MPs want government to increase the salaries of both arts and science teachers, a move that could see the raise for science teachers somehow affected.

While graduate science teachers have been gearing for as much as Shs4m every month and their diploma holding colleagues Shs3m monthly, arts teachers would earn less than Shs1m.

It is this discriminatory salary enhancement that led to a recent strike by arts teachers under the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Union). The suspension of the arts teachers’ strike almost coincided with the return of Parliament from recess and the issue took centre stage in parliamentary debates.

But as the House debate the need to increase arts teachers’ salaries, their science colleagues were worried that their package could be affected.

“Whereas the speaker has ordered for a motion on teachers’ pay enhancement, we caution against tampering with the already enhanced pay for Science Teachers and other scientists, 4m/3m. Government doesn’t work in retrogression,” wrote Aron Mugaiga, the Secretary General of the Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (Upstu) ahead of the resolution on arts teachers’ salary increment and the harmonization of pay for all public servants.

Science Teachers were disadvantaged in 2018. We urge Parliament not to hurt Science Teachers again. Discuss other ways to enhance pay for arts but don’t tamper with Science Teachers 4m and 3m for FY2022-2023.

As this publication has reported, only Shs95bn was set aside to increase salaries of secondary school science teachers in the current budget. (See how much each secondary school teacher would have his or her salary increased by if the Shs95bn was divided equally among both arts and science teachers HERE).

During their heated debate on the matter, MPs told Museveni’s government to either divide the Shs95bn equally among both arts and science teachers or process a supplementary budget for increment of arts teachers’ salaries because ‘all teachers matter.’ (Read Story Here).

Meanwhile, Public Service Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwire has revealed how much money is needed to increase arts teachers’ salaries and explained the three options through which this money can be secured. (Read Story Here).

REVEALED: Top Museveni Minister Reveals When Arts Teachers’ Salaries Will Be Increased