COUNTRYWIDE. It was a normal start of Third Term in many schools around Kampala City and other urban centres as remote upcountry schools joined the countrywide sit down strike announced by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union(Unatu) which kicked off on Monday .
No teaching took place in many public village schools and some remained under lock and lock for the better part of the day. In urban schools some teachers we spoke to , said they reported to class not because they don’t want a salary rise ,but want to help learners not to lose instructional time during this short promotional school term .
Last week , the Unatu leadership announced an industrial action saying government had failed to fulfil its promise to enhance salaries of Arts teachers like it did to their counterparts teaching sciences three years ago . They vowed not to go back to class unless their demand for a pay raise for humanities teachers is meant.
In Kyankwanzi District classrooms at many public schools remained empty .
At Butemba College Secondary School, Kyankwanzi District one teacher reported for duty on Monday and there also one student was found in the school compound. The picture was not different at St. Mary’s Kaseeta Primary School, where gates were locked and the compound eerily quiet.
St Mary’s Rwamagali P/S was also under lock and key, with no pupil or staff member in sight, while at Kabagaya Primary School, only ten pupils reported.
At Bikoma Primary School, both classrooms and offices were closed, while ten pupils were in attendance at St Kizito P/S Bisika .
Kyankwanzi District Unatu Chairperson Yunia Nakuya said the industrial action stemmed from the government’s continued failure to address their longstanding demand for pay rise .
“This strike is not about disrupting learning, but about pushing for dignity in the teaching profession,” she explained, stressing that teachers have waited too long for the government to fulfill the promise.
In the Lango Sub-region, the ongoing teachers’ strike is more evident in government-aided primary and secondary schools.
At Lyanyi Primary School in Oyam District, only 10 candidates in Primary Seven reported to school on Monday.
In Kanungu District , the teachers strike is taking a bigger toll on the primary schools than the tertiary and secondary schools. The same applies to Greater Masaka sub region in central Uganda .
Mr Kenneth Tusingwire -the Kanungu District Unatu chairperson who is also head teacher of Nyakinoni Primary School, revealed that all members of the union are taking part in the strike.
In Mbale City, most of the primary schools visited including North Road Primary School, Fairway, Nabuyonga, Busamaga, among others, there was no teaching taking place. The pupils’ attendance was also low .
At North Road Primary School, the most populated school in Mbale City, the pupils were found seated in classrooms without a teacher. Other pupils were outside their classrooms.
In Kabale District, the head teacher Buhumba Primary School ,Mr Jackson Kyomukama said he was only the one at the school.
“Even the pupils did not turn up. We shall wait for guidance from the Ministry of Education on the way forward,” Mr Kyomukama said.
In Jinja City ,schools many reopened and a reasonable number of learners reported , particularly in urban areas,
Mr Paul Balinaire, the Principal Education Officer, said though most teachers reported on Day One and conducted lessons, the learners’ attendance was low.
Currently , an Arts teacher with a degree ,earns a gross pay of Shs1,078,162 monthly and takes home a net pay of Shs841,931 while his/her science counterpart currently gets Shs4million and takes home a net pay of Shs2,858,000.
Similarly, an Arts teacher with a diploma qualification gets gross pay of Shs784,214 and takes home a net pay Shs639,108 while their science counterpart earns Shs2.2million and takes home at net pay of Shs1.616,000. Unatu leaders have vowed to continue with the strike if government doesn’t come out to explain when their salaries will be enhanced .