Teachers under their national umbrella association, the Uganda National Teacher's Union (UNATU) have restored their demands for a salary increment for arts teachers in the 2023/2024 financial year.

In a letter dated 16th January 2023 to the Ministry of Public Service, the UNATU leadership said that the Arts/Humanities teachers and their colleagues in the Primary education sub-sector deserve a better pay even when they are serving the country with heavy hearts. 

It’s now just about three weeks to the opening of the first school term of 2023. Now, teachers under their national umbrella association, the Uganda National Teacher's Union (UNATU) have yet again put forward their demands for a salary enhancement for secondary school arts teachers and those in primary schools.   

UNATU General Secretary Filbert Baguma says they have written a letter reminding the government to enhance the salaries of Arts and Humanities teachers in the upcoming budgeting cycle. Dr. Sultan Kakuba, a lecturer at Kyambogo University backed the demands.  

In the current financial year, the Government enhanced the salaries of science teachers by more than 100%. Baguma says previous discriminatory tendencies in salary enhancement within the teaching fraternity bred disunity, demoralized the rest of the teachers and affected staff team work. Dr. Kakuba agrees with Baguma that the government approach to the issue was misguided.

Baguma suggests that the best way forward is for the Government to expedite salary enhancement for all teachers. Dr. Kakuba thinks the government should engage teachers to build a consensus instead of threatening them.

When the government enhanced the salaries of scientists, including teachers, the teachers umbrella body UNATU called a strike of arts secondary school teachers and primary school teachers which lasted about two months.