By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The state minister for public service, Grace Mary Mugasa has warned arts teachers who are currently on strike to call off their strike lest they risk losing their jobs.
“If you are not in class, you risk losing your job because we have students who have been volunteering in some schools and are not yet employed, and are recently struggling to get these positions,” said Minister Mugasa.
Arts teachers across the country are on strike over pay rise, and announced that they would not return to classroom for teaching and marking national exams until their demands are met. The government proposed for a phased 25% salary increment in the 2026/27 financial year, but the teachers say that the proposal fall short of their 100% pay rise demands – equal to what science teachers were granted earlier.
There have also been speculations that the government reached out to teachers to suspend the strike, however, the teachers denied knowledge of the talks stating that they are committed to their industrial action.
“We are not going back to class unless we have our salaries increased. Let the government sit and reorganize itself and find the money,” said Teopista Akello, President of the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers Union (UPHTU).
Speaking to journalists at Media Centre, Kampala on Monday, minister Mugasa insisted that the government does not have enough money to pay arts teachers’ salaries. pledged to work on humanity teachers’ plight in September of the next financial year.
“We gave them our position as government. There’s nowhere we can get money from at this point in time,” said Mugasa. “Beginning September next financial year, we shall work with them to make sure that their salary is enhanced because budgeting process starts then.” she said.
Mugasa argues that the strike affects learners in public schools whose parents cannot afford the high school fee charged in private schools, calling on teachers to call off the strike and return to classroom.
“It’s the kids of the poor who are suffering, the rich have take theirs to private schools,” she urged.
