Delay In Arts Teachers’ Salaries Stirs Up Anger

A number of Arts teachers in 50 districts have gone months without receiving payments. The development comes amidst claims that their money had been diverted to paying science teachers. Some teachers said that local leaders have diverted their salaries to clear the enhanced salaries of the science teachers.

Mr. Filbert Baguma, the Secretary-General the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) confirmed this. He blamed the development on the district leaders.

“The accounting officers are at fault because they have continued to pay Science teachers their enhanced salaries, to the disadvantage of the Arts teachers, whose salaries were not enhanced,” Mr Baguma said yesterday.

In the new salary arrangement, science teachers take home Shs4m as salary every month. As for the Arts teachers, degree holders are paid shs800,000 and diploma holders only get shs700,000.

Mr Baguma said despite increasing science teachers’ Salaries, the government did not release money to cater for this increment. He said this prompted local authorities to divert salaries of Arts teachers. He further revealed that he has written to the Ministry of Education to assess the matter before it gets out of hand.

Furthermore, he also revealed that over 200 teachers from 50 districts have so far lodged complaints with his office over salary payments. One teacher said he has not been paid since the year started.

“This [salaries] are our only source of income yet we have families to fend for. We cannot pay school fees for our children. The government needs to urgently do something,” he said.

Mr Jim Mugunga, the Ministry of Finance spokesperson said the ministry is not aware of the deductions to pay science teachers.

“I am not aware of a situation where any accounting officer will use one’s salary to either pay the other or top up a science teacher as alleged. I am not aware of the diversion of salaries from any teachers’ group to pay another,” he said.

Check Also;

• Teachers Leaving Profession Due To Delayed Government Salaries
• Headteachers Asked To Stop Charging Fees As UPE Completion Rate Falls To 34%
• Science Teachers And Arts Teachers Are Now Sitting Separately In Some Schools; Richard Mwebaze

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