NATIONAL
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has come under scrutiny over its silence on the continued salary disparities in the public service.
The criticisms follow an ongoing nationwide strike by arts teachers in government-aided schools who on Monday laid down their tools after government failed to honour an earlier commitment to raise their salaries of arts teachers in line with those of their science counterparts. The strike has paralysed learning in many schools, sparking fears of a disrupted academic calendar.
Sharon Oyat Arach, the spokesperson for Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) says the disparity in salaries amounts to discrimination, attributing this widening pay gap in the education sector to the EOC for failing to intervene.
“If the office of the Equal Opportunities was as effective as they say, they should have raised the red flag before the disbursement of salaries for science teachers. This policy is discriminative and bound to cause industrial unrest,” Arach said at a press briefing in Kampala.
The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is a statutory body established under the 1995 Constitution and the Equal Opportunities Act, 2007. The commission is mandated to among others to eliminate discrimination and inequalities in access to opportunities, to promote affirmative action in favour of marginalised groups, and to monitor, evaluate and ensure that government policies and programmes comply with the principle of equal treatment.
The commission’s Key Powers are investigating complaints of discrimination and recommending corrective measures, Advising government on policies that undermine equality, and Enforcing compliance among ministries, agencies and local governments.
Although the Commission has been active on issues such as gender equality and rights of vulnerable groups, critics argue that it has been largely silent on salary disparities in the education sector. UPC now says its inaction over the pay gap between science and arts teachers undermines its constitutional mandate.
According to UPC, the current salary structure not only undermines equity but also demoralises teachers across the country.
“Teachers are the bedrock of our human capital development. Discriminatory pay frustrates them and ultimately harms millions of children in government schools,” Arach said.
The party further faulted government for ignoring repeated calls for a minimum wage, which it said would have prevented recurrent strikes across professions.
Notably, the UPC president Jimmy Akena has in the past warned that selective salary enhancement would destabilise the education sector.
The Commission has yet to issue a public statement on the ongoing strike. But Arach maintains that that its (commission’s) silence undermines its relevance, especially as industrial action disrupts learning for over 90% of Ugandan children enrolled in government schools.
The party has now called on government, and all stakeholders to urgently address the grievances of arts teachers, saying continued inaction risks widening inequality in the education system.
