It has been revealed today, that government is now resolutely opposed to fully effecting salary increments for secondary school science teachers as it had been resolved, due to a struggling economy.
It should be noted that after a series of cabinet meetings in the last weeks, government committed to up remunerations for the science teachers according to their level of education, in the new financial year 2022/23.
The blueprint for this arrangement indicates that degree holders are to be paid Shs. 4 million per month from 1.1 million, while their diploma counterparts will earn Shs. 3 million monthly, from Shs. 796,000.
However, this kind of arrangement is now in limbo, and has been dropped by government, after receiving a tip off from the ministry of Public Service, of a prospect of the current recession worsening , precipitated by devastating effects of COVID-19.
The Public Service ministry contends that the number of teachers whose salaries are to be increased is larger than what the government had estimated, and fully effecting the plan would push the country into a worse recession.
According to trusted sources, the last document that was presented to cabinet on this matter indicated that the Public Service ministry decided that monthly earnings for these teachers be upped by 50% of the earlier promised hike, in the new financial year.
Sources, also reveal that the last cabinet meeting on the same issue is to take place today at State House Entebbe, and will be presided over by President Yoweri Museveni.
The resolutions will be addressed to parliament by the President, in his state of the nation address slated for next month.
Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has already set aside Shs. 95 billion for this cause, but due to modifications, a 50% increment of what was promised in the first arrangement will be effected.
This makes the situation more fragile as this project is already marred by controversy, confusion, and conflicting accounts, making the whole process rather complicated.
According to government, full enhancement of salaries, wages and gratuity for scientists, Uganda Peoples’ Defences Forces (UPDF) requires Shs1.9 trillion and this will raise the total wage bill from Shs. 5.533 trillion to Shs7.433 in the newt financial year.
There is also a prospect of conflicts among schools’ staff which is attributed to the fact that enhanced salaries of science teachers, will bypass those of their bosses, the headteachers, from whom they are supposed to take directives.
Worse still, Arts and Humanities teachers were left out ot the new arrangement and these have also threatened to launch protests, as a way of sending a clear message to government, that all disciplines are relevant in the education sector.
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