Ugandan teachers on Monday have called off their strike after meeting President Yoweri Museveni.
Museveni, came to the meeting with Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) in he company of his wife and Minister of Education, Janet Museveni. The meeting was held at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The teachers expressed their disappointment with the government for its discrimination. The Ugandan government had increased the salaries of science teachers but left arts teachers’ salaries not reviewed.
“We have provided a position as government and pledged to competitively remunerate workers guided by a science-led strategy. This does not mean we have forgotten others, but we are choosing to prioritize the few and others can come later. We must finish one problem at a time,” the president told the UNATU representatives.
Teachers, Police officers, army personnel and other workers in the East African country have been calling for better salaries, and Museveni acknowledged their complaints.
“We are aware of the issues and we are committed to handling them. Therefore, my advice is to go back and teach. Please don’t divert us from our journey (of attracting and retaining scientists by paying them comparatively and competitively. Don’t interfere with government strategy,” he added.
The President had increased the salaries of teachers of science subjects by 300% and condemned calls for spreading the increment across board.
Ugandan teachers had downed tools on the 15th of June and called on the government to increase their salaries.
