Head teachers weigh in on salary disparity

School heads have spoken out on the government proposal to pay science teachers more than their arts counterparts. 

They say if strategies are not laid out on how to motivate arts teachers, a disaster lies ahead.

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During the reading of the 2022/2023 Financial Year Budget last week, it was indicated that the government would pay graduate science teachers Shs4m per month, up from Shs1.2m, and Diploma [Grade V] science teachers (Shs3m).

Mr David Sidialo, the head teacher of Manjasi High School in Tororo District, said he is proposing to lobby Parents Teachers Association [PTA] to have funds channeled to the arts teachers. 

“We are thinking of giving them all the PTA  package,” he said in an interview at the weekend.

Without divulging how much each teacher stands to gain from the PTA per month, Mr Sidialo said in the interim, he is waiting for a government position. 

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Mr Arthur Mbalule, the headmaster of Busoga College Mwiri in Jinja, however, said they cannot put any money for arts teachers aside because; “We even don’t have it.”

Mr Michael Kisame, the headmaster of Kira College Butiki in Jinja, said he hopes President Museveni will do something for the arts teachers.

“But now, there is nothing we have for them because our hands are tied. We were even told not to increase fees. What I know is that there isn’t much the schools can do to that effect,” he said.

Ms Jannipher Mamayi, an arts teacher at Nkuutu Memorial Secondary School in Bugweri District, said her head teacher has not laid out any plans for them.

 “Today [Friday last week], he had nothing to tell us when we took back the school books; how will he supervise someone earning more than him?” Ms Mamayi asked.

The Ministry of Education Spokesperson, Dr Denis Mugimba, was earlier quoted saying the ministry has technocrats who have looked through all such possibilities.  He said they have about 1,000 deputies and 1,200 head teachers, whose numbers were  ‘easy’ to sort out.

According to Mr Sidialo, Mr Mugimba’s calculation is that by the time they put science teachers at a monthly salary of Shs4m, they will have to put the head teachers and their deputies above. 

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Mr Wanambwa said the salary disparity will cause a division between arts and science teachers, citing a prominent school in Jinja City where he alleged that the headmaster, with an arts background, had a dislike for science teachers.

“This head teacher told me that if his science subordinates each earns Shs4m, he is going to be very strict and will want them to be at the school for five days a week,” Mr Wanambwa said.

Dr Erasmus Emuut Ekanyumoit, an education policy analyst, said the salary enhancement is a poorly-conceived plan.

“Government should have tagged pay to qualifications and tactfully put special allowance for research, which it could withdraw when it becomes less-sustainable,” Mr Ekanyumoit said.

Ms Oliver Nambi, the head teacher of Busoga High School in Kamuli District, who is also the chairperson of Kamuli Head teachers’ Association, said the disparities in pay will create favourism in schools. She said most head teachers in Kamuli District have an arts background, and deemed it “suicidal” to such heads supervise highly-paid subordinates.

Arts teachers' strike 

The Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) has vowed to continue with the ongoing industrial action over discriminative salary enhancement despite a directive from President Museveni to return to class.  

In a press statement issued on Saturday, the President asked the teachers across the country to call off the industrial action, saying government is committed to honouring salary enhancement in a phased manner. But Mr Filbert Baguma, the Unatu secretary general, said their meeting with the President did not yield any desired results.