Strike over pay rise splits Arts teachers
One of the humanities teachers holds a protest poster during their meeting in Masaka City on June 10, 2025. PHOTO/ GERTRUDE MUTYABA
What you need to know:
- The teachers want their salaries raised to match those of Science counterparts and head teachers.
- Arts teachers are demanding Shs6.5m for head teachers, Shs4.5m for deputy head teachers, Shs4m for graduate teachers, and Shs2.2m for diploma holders.
The ongoing demand for a salary increase has split Arts teachers across the country, with some returning to classrooms while others persist with a sit-down strike.
The teachers want their salaries raised to match those of Science counterparts and head teachers.
Last month, the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers Union (UPHTU) resolved to begin a sit-down strike effective June 6, insisting that the government must offer a tangible solution to their grievances.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting yesterday, Ms Teopista Akello, the Union president, said the teachers are tired of unfulfilled promises and want immediate action. “We are not accepting promises anymore. We want action. The government must secure a supplementary budget and pay Arts teachers fairly, just like their science counterparts,” Ms Akello said.
Ms Akello, alongside more than 100 teachers from different regions who gathered in Kampala, affirmed that the strike was in full swing and vowed to continue until their demands are met. The teachers expressed frustration that the government has repeatedly failed to honour its commitments.
“When we met with government officials, they asked us not to down our tools, promising to include the salary increment in the 2026/2027 budget. We rejected that offer and demanded it be included in the 2025/2026 budget instead, but nothing has come of it,” said Mr Francis Mutesasira, the Union’s secretary general.
The National Budget, passed by Parliament last month, did not provide for salary enhancement for Arts teachers. Ms Akello argued that since the government routinely passes supplementary budgets, it can do the same to address teachers’ concerns.
“Passing a supplementary budget is not the problem. Who can convince Ugandans that the government cannot find a slot for us? Just last month, they passed a supplementary budget as the financial year was almost ending. They can do the same for us,” she said.
Despite the strike declaration, classes are continuing in some schools. Sources suggest that these are mainly schools where Science teachers, whose salaries were increased, are still teaching.
A spot check by this publication found that some top traditional schools were operating normally. Some teachers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said those schools receive additional support from Parents and Teachers Associations (PTAs), making them less reliant on government salaries. “Most schools are on strike except top schools that receive extra pay from PTAs.
Some head teachers have also stayed away from work because they can’t supervise teachers who earn more than them,” one teacher said. The dispute traces back to 2022, when the government significantly increased salaries for secondary school science teachers, up to Shs4 million per month, and heads of schools who are scientists, up to Shs6.5 million monthly. Arts teachers and administrators were excluded from that increment.
Heads of schools protested, saying it was difficult to supervise science teachers earning far more than them. Their pleas, however, have gone unheeded. Now, Arts teachers are demanding the same pay: Shs6.5 million for head teachers, Shs4.5 million for deputy head teachers, Shs4 million for graduate teachers, and Shs2.2 million for diploma holders.
Currently, Arts head teachers earn around Shs2.3 million, deputies about Shs1.6 million, graduate teachers roughly Shs1 million, and diploma holders about Shs700,000. UPHTU says the strike will continue indefinitely until the government takes concrete steps to address salary disparities. The State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, yesterday urged teachers to remain patient as the government works on their concerns.
“I thank all the teachers who returned for the second term and urge them to continue with the good work. For those still striking, the government is addressing the issue of salary enhancement—but it will be done in a phased manner,” Mr Muyingo said.
