The president and the Minister for Education and Sports Janet Museveni and that of Public Service Muruli Mukasa met leaders of the Uganda National Teacher’s Union (UNATU) in their regional clusters at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
“While government acknowledges the issues raised by the Arts teachers, we are also aware of salary issues from other workers; the army, Police officers, etc who are equally important to the growth and development of this country,” President Museveni assured the teachers.
“We have provided a position as government and pledged to competitively remunerate workers guided by a science-led strategy,” he said. He also added that this does not mean they have forgotten others, but they are choosing to prioritize the few and others can come later. They must finish one problem at a time.
“We have a strategy and no one should disrupt us. We are aware of the issues and we are committed to handling them. Therefore, my advice to the teachers is that they should go back and teach,” he told the leaders.
The Arts teachers had earlier on insisted that the government should use the available resources to improve salaries across the board, but the president said this is possible, but it does not solve the salary issue. It is okumemerera (sprinkling), where everyone will get a little and then next year everyone strikes.
