Teachers protest small pay rise
Jun 16, 2005
OVER 300,000 Universal Primary Education (UPE) pupils in Kampala City missed morning lessons yesterday as hundreds of their teachers demonstrated against the sh10,000 salary increment.
By Catherine Ntabadde
OVER 300,000 Universal Primary Education (UPE) pupils in Kampala City missed morning lessons yesterday as hundreds of their teachers demonstrated against the sh10,000 salary increment.
The teachers demanded for a sh200,000 minimum pay.
Kampala has 2,000 teachers in 82 government-aided primary schools.
The Police tried to block the teachers but they persisted and the patrol car and its force just followed the crowds. The demonstration started at 10:00am and ended at about 1:30pm.
Led by a band, the teachers wrote with chalk on pavements and in the roads as they walked on. “Why are we neglected? We also need to educate our children, Take the energy to fight Kony,†some of the writings said.
The demonstrators, who marched from the Constitutional Square to Parliament Building, also carried placards with such slogans as, “Why should teachers be objects of public laughter? UPE is a failure, it can only produce housegirls for Museveni’s elite, Have we taught the nation to forget us? We want sh200,000.â€
The executive of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), Kampala district, went to present their petition to the Kampala RDC, Dr. Stanley Kinyatta, but he was not in office.
They went to the Ministry of Finance offices to hand over another petition to the Permanent Secretary, Chris Kassami.
Workers’ MP Sam Lyomoki accompanied them.
The teachers also handed over another petition to Parliament Speaker Edward Ssekandi in the presence of Lyomoki and Martin Wandera, Workers’ MP.
Ssekandi said the teachers’ salary was a national issue, which would be forwarded to the parliamentary committee on social services.
The petition was signed by UNATU Kampala chairperson Irene Mawanda and UNATU Kampala head of the salary committee Joseph Ssewungu.
The teachers kept on chanting, “Because we are, the Nation is,†as Lyomoki addressed them in the Parliament gardens.
Ssewungu said after the demonstration, the teachers would go back to teach. Lyomoki said the struggle should continue countrywide until the salary is raised.
Ends
OVER 300,000 Universal Primary Education (UPE) pupils in Kampala City missed morning lessons yesterday as hundreds of their teachers demonstrated against the sh10,000 salary increment.
The teachers demanded for a sh200,000 minimum pay.
Kampala has 2,000 teachers in 82 government-aided primary schools.
The Police tried to block the teachers but they persisted and the patrol car and its force just followed the crowds. The demonstration started at 10:00am and ended at about 1:30pm.
Led by a band, the teachers wrote with chalk on pavements and in the roads as they walked on. “Why are we neglected? We also need to educate our children, Take the energy to fight Kony,†some of the writings said.
The demonstrators, who marched from the Constitutional Square to Parliament Building, also carried placards with such slogans as, “Why should teachers be objects of public laughter? UPE is a failure, it can only produce housegirls for Museveni’s elite, Have we taught the nation to forget us? We want sh200,000.â€
The executive of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), Kampala district, went to present their petition to the Kampala RDC, Dr. Stanley Kinyatta, but he was not in office.
They went to the Ministry of Finance offices to hand over another petition to the Permanent Secretary, Chris Kassami.
Workers’ MP Sam Lyomoki accompanied them.
The teachers also handed over another petition to Parliament Speaker Edward Ssekandi in the presence of Lyomoki and Martin Wandera, Workers’ MP.
Ssekandi said the teachers’ salary was a national issue, which would be forwarded to the parliamentary committee on social services.
The petition was signed by UNATU Kampala chairperson Irene Mawanda and UNATU Kampala head of the salary committee Joseph Ssewungu.
The teachers kept on chanting, “Because we are, the Nation is,†as Lyomoki addressed them in the Parliament gardens.
Ssewungu said after the demonstration, the teachers would go back to teach. Lyomoki said the struggle should continue countrywide until the salary is raised.
Ends