The minister of education and sports who also doubles as the first lady Janet Kataha Museveni has summoned leaders of the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) for a meeting.
The summon follows a sit-down strike by teachers demanding salary increments to the level of their science counterparts.
The strike began on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, a day after the reading of the national budget for the 2022-2023 financial year which starts in July 2022.
Science teachers in secondary schools and primary school teachers across the country are protesting a decision by the government to only increase the salaries of science teachers, leaving them behind.
On June 15, the day the industrial action started, a number of schools sent students (pupils/learners) home till further notice.
In some secondary schools, only science teachers showed up in class, while in others, learners were seen conducting lessons for their fellows.
However, while addressing journalists yesterday, Public Service Minister Muruli Mukasa revealed that Minister Janet Museveni would soon hold a meeting with UNATU leaders to discuss the way forward further calling upon arts teachers to resume work.
“The Hon First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports has called a meeting with the Uganda National Teachers’ Union leaders on Friday, June 17, 2022, where a way forward will be agreed,” he said.
The meeting was also re-echoed by the State Minister in charge of Primary Education, Dr Joyce Kaducu, saying there is a planned dialogue with UNATU further noting that professionals in the public sector should always consider dialogue instead of resorting to strikes which hinder service provision.
“What we want from teachers is dialogue, our doors are open…We love the teachers and we don’t want to see them go into industrial action. Going into industrial action will mean setting back the entire education system in terms of curricula implementation. We are appealing to the teachers not to go into industrial action. Present your case to us and we get a way forward,” Kaducu said while representing Janet Museveni to officiate the National Curriculum Development Centre’s pre- 50-year anniversary event in Kampala.
“We have just started implementing the lower secondary curriculum that requires intensive implementation and continuous running of the implementation programme. We have seen the messages from teachers circulating on social media and press statements. Once they go on strike, we are going back to square zero. We have been out of school for two years. Now again to go on strike is a setback,” she added.
