Anger as Arts teachers’ salaries delay

Several Arts teachers in 50 districts have gone for months without pay, amid claims that their money was diverted to pay science teachers.

Some teachers told Monitor that local leaders have diverted their salaries to pay Science teachers, whose salaries were enhanced last year.  

The Secretary General of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), Mr Filbert Baguma, confirmed this development and blamed the district leaders for the mess.

“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.

Science teachers in the new arrangement take home Shs4m as opposed to the Arts teachers who earn a net of Shs800,000 for graduate teachers and about Shs700,000 for diploma holders.

Mr Baguma said salaries of science teachers were enhanced but money was not released to cater for the increment, prompting local governments to ‘divert’ salaries of Arts teachers.
He said he has written to the Ministry of Education to intervene before the matter gets out of hand.

According to him, more than 200 Arts teachers from 50 districts have so far lodged complaints with his office over missing salaries.

A teacher from St Peter’s College, Tororo, who preferred anonymity to speak freely, told Monitor yesterday that he has not been getting his salary since the year started. According to the teacher, they have been notified that their salaries were affected by the budget shortfall after enhancement of salaries of science teachers.

“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.
According to other sources, at least 15 teachers at Tororo Girls Secondary school and 12 from Manjasi High School have not received their salaries since February.

Other affected schools are in Luweero,Busia, Kumi, Adjumani and Kira Municipality in Wakiso district, among others, where some Arts teachers have not been paid since November.

The Head Teacher of St Peters College, Tororo, Mr James Emron said 13 teachers at the school have not received salaries since February.

“We did the approvals of all our teachers but we were notified that the Ministry of Finance has not yet released the money,” Mr Emron said.

The chairperson of Head Teachers Associations in Uganda, Mr Augustine Mugabo, said  he had received complaints of delayed salaries.

“I met the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education on Monday and she said that there must have been mismanagement of payroll in local governments. She said that they were going to investigate the matter,”Mr Mugabo said.

Ministries respond
The Ministry of Finance spokesperson, Mr Jim Mugunga, yesterday referred us to the line ministry for a detailed explanation.

“As a matter of policy, the Ministry of Finance upholds the principle of salary and wages being a statutory entitlement and hence a right. Our undertaking is to pay the same between 20th and 25th of every month and this we uphold.  No rightfully recruited teachers have not been paid,” he said.

On deductions from arts teachers to pay science teachers, Mr Mugunga said the Ministry wasn’t aware.

“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 diversion of salaries from any teachers’ group to pay another,” he said.

Mr Denis Mugimba, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, said he was not aware of the matter and tasked local governments to explain the discrepancies.

The Ministry of Local Government spokesperson, Mr Asavia Nampandu, yesterday said while they faced challenges of paying salaries for all the teachers during the first month, this has since been rectified.

“The government raised the salaries of science teachers in July[2019], after the budget had been passed. Local government paid science teachers the new rate, and this caused a shortfall. We are aware of the challenges and we have been in touch with the Ministry of Finance.”

Mr Nampandu added: “All teachers will be able to get their salaries provided they are on the payroll. They should be patient.”