President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assured all teachers in public service that the government will enhance their salaries but in a phased manner.
“Our intention is very clear, the economy is growing and the inflation is low. Our target is to pay all the public servants well but also increase the number of public servants. When we closed schools during Corona, the number of learners who were sent home was 15 million. If you take the ratio of 50 learners per teacher, that means we need 300,000 teachers for 15 million children but now we are not able to hire them,” he said.
President Museveni made the remarks while officiating at the belated World Teachers Day celebrations held at Lugogo Cricket Oval, Kampala. The celebrations ran under the theme: “Valuing Teachers’ Voices Towards a New Social Contract for Education”.
He explained that due to effective planning and prioritizing, the government started with the enhancement of salaries of science teachers, but the arts teachers will also be worked on.
“We should start with something that would get us to a higher level. For example, the availability of electricity will mean more factories and more businesses and that means more taxes and so on.”
The President further informed the teachers that the NRM government came into power at a time when the economy of Uganda had collapsed and it had a task to revive and expand it through diversification and introducing a new economy of knowledge.
He said on top of that task, the government needs money to support social services like health and education.
“We had multiple tasks, first of all, we were trying to make the economy recover from collapse and expand it. At the same time, we have the other task of not just dealing with a small number of learners but dealing with a large group of learners. If we dealt with the small group, we would have a few teachers to teach them and they could be paid very well. A few teachers to teach a few but what would be the impact on the country?” he wondered.
President Museveni added that due to the idea of prioritizing mass education, despite all the problems the country has, the literacy rate has gone from 43 percent to 76 percent now.
“Those who were laughing at our strategy, now you see? Everything we do is mass because we try to empower everybody; Mass education, mass immunization, security for all to bring peace in the whole country.”
Additionally, President Museveni assured the teachers that the government would examine the issue of a holiday for Teachers Day.
In his closing remarks, President Museveni expressed gratitude to Ireland for its continuous support of Uganda, particularly in the education sector.
“I want to thank Ireland, they are very good friends, always helping sincerely, and their teachers are doing a great job,” he added.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni commended the teachers for nurturing humanity through education.
She also thanked President Museveni for always supporting the education and Sports sector.
“Your unwavering commitment to selfless service of our homeland is truly inspiring and we deeply appreciate your continued support for the teachers’ fraternity,” Maama Janet noted.
The First Lady also lauded the teachers for the perseverance that has enabled them to contribute to the socio-economic transformation of Uganda.
“In an era that continues to press increasing demands on the teacher, some have opted to exit the practice of this noble profession. On the other hand, some teachers have chosen to adapt to the dynamic context of the profession but on a day such as this, we recognize the contribution of both past and present teachers with the hope that a new generation of teachers is also rising to carry on with the noble call,” she said.
“As it is obvious to all of us, the current generation of teachers is neither the first nor the last we shall have as a country, there are those who have gone before you whose voices from the ages of the past still ring as loud today. Those voices of the past teachers still ring as loud today because of the indelible mark they left on our lives when we were learners.”
She also urged that society has a lot of expectations from teachers such as their presence to the learners, role models in conduct and behavior, and protectors of learners.
“Those are some of the values that we all hold dear to when we think of an exemplary teacher,” Maama Janet expounded.
As much as policymakers are working to improve the teaching profession, Maama Janet reminded the audience that the core of the problem lies in individual accountability.
“As much as policymakers can do what is possible within their means to improve the outward form of the teaching profession, there are issues of the heart of the teacher that only the teacher knows and can address,” she said.
The Minister also highlighted the contrasting attitudes between teachers in private and public schools, pointing out that despite earning less and often facing irregular payments, private school teachers show up more diligently than their public-sector counterparts, who are paid better and more regularly.
“It is not just about the vigilance of the supervisor in the private school but the degree to which this teacher treasures the job they have,” she said.
Addressing government efforts to support the teaching profession, Maama Janet acknowledged the resource constraints that have delayed the equal pay rise for all teachers but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of its employees.
She urged patience, emphasizing that when the time comes for all teachers, the increments will be meaningful.
“If that was to be the case [spreading the little money currently available], the little that you would get would be meaningless to all of you—and then you would all be in the same situation that we are trying to lift out everyone but one at a time,” she explained.
The Minister also highlighted the government’s efforts to professionalize teaching through the National Teacher Policy approved in 2019 and the upcoming National Teacher Bill 2024, currently under consideration in Parliament.
The First Lady also took the opportunity to thank Uganda’s international partners, particularly Ireland, for their continued support in improving the skills of Ugandan teachers.
She acknowledged that over 200 Ugandan teachers have traveled to Ireland to benchmark best practices since 2016, with those who returned continuing to excel in their work.
“I want to thank God for making Ireland a blessing to Uganda. Ambassador Kevin Colgan and your predecessor, Ambassador William John Carlos thank you for being used by God to not only wish us well but also support our teachers to have the opportunity to learn from their fellow professionals in Ireland,” she said.
