Lockdown: Another teacher takes up security guard job

The tough economic conditions in the second lockdown are pushing people to do all sorts of jobs in order to make ends meet.

Among them is Mr Denis Aguma, aged 26.

Mr Aguma, a professional teacher, told Daily Monitor yesterday that he had been anticipating the second lockdown even before President Museveni officially declared it on June 18.

“There were rumours even in the month of May that a lockdown was looming. I, therefore, started making inquiries of any available job opportunities. I mostly asked close family members and friends,” he said yesterday.

A friend then informed him there was a vacancy of a security guard at Ark Specialist Hospital in Kayunga, Wakiso Town.

“I applied for the job towards the end of May and began working on June 1,” he said.

Mr Jared Opio, the manager of Ark Specialist Hospital confirmed that the position of security guard was indeed advertised prior to the second lockdown.

“Five candidates came out expressing interest and of all of them, Denis was the most spirited and enthusiastic about the role,” Mr Opio stated.

He added: “When he eventually emerged as the best candidate from the interviews, we asked him several times whether he was comfortable with the position since his profession as a teacher is more prestigious. He said there was no problem with it,” Mr Opio stated.

Mr Aguma is a teacher at Achievers Education Centre, a nursery and primary school in Wakiso District.

“I am a teacher by profession but whenever there is a lockdown, we don’t earn anything. Besides, the school calendar has been quite unstable for more than a year now, so, one cannot just sit around idle waiting for everything to get back to normal,” he said.

Mr Aguma, who taught Social Studies and Religious Education, had been earning a monthly salary of Shs300,000.

As a security guard, he now earns Shs250,000 on a monthly basis.

“So far, so good. I am not complaining. I thank God for the opportunity because some of my fellow teachers are also desperately looking for other jobs during this lockdown, but, have failed to get anything to do,” he said.

Mr Aguma said he has already received his first salary and the money is enabling him fend for his wife and six-year-old son.

 In last year’s first lockdown, Mr Aguma said he worked as a porter at a construction site in order to make ends meet.

“I was mostly carrying bricks, mixing cement and sand as well as running errands for builders,” he said.

“Though it was a hard and difficult manual work, I pushed through because I needed the money,” he added.

He earned Shs10,000 on a daily basis from the job.

“Some people used to talk negatively about my work saying, ‘how can a whole teacher be a porter?’ But, I often paid them no attention,” Mr Aguma said.

He advises other people to learn to be flexible in life, especially during such difficult times of the pandemic.

“Be open towards change and you will survive,” Mr Aguma said.