Dear President Yoweri Museveni,
Aug 04, 2011
The equitable remuneration of Uganda teachers should be a priority of the Government of Uganda.
The equitable remuneration of Uganda teachers should be a priority of the Government of Uganda.
Teachers after all are vital to a progressive society, and Uganda teachers are among the most dedicated in the profession.
A society that values its teachers, promotes them and pays them well is a society that is moving toward becoming a developed society.
There are several issues that relate to the inadequacy of teacher’s pay. This includes, among others, poor morale, high rate of absenteeism, and lack of focus on students’ achievement as teachers look for opportunities to augment meager salaries.
But nothing compares to the anger that is generated by the inequity of a public service system that punishes teachers for working hard daily to educate children in the many primary and secondary schools across the country.
For instance, as pointed out by various authors last week, Uganda’s teachers are not unreasonable in demanding immediate salary increase.
The average pay for a Uganda primary school teacher is Shs. 275,000. Depending on the grade level and qualifications, secondary school teachers earn Shs. 330,000 and Shs. 500,000 respectively.
Yet, regardless of qualification and experience, Uganda teachers are far behind when compared to teachers in neighbouring Kenya, and more so when compared to teachers in Canada.
In neighbouring Kenya, the lowest paid non-graduate primary school teacher at the Group F level earns around Ksh. 13,000 (Shs. 372,114) while the highest paid graduate teacher at the Group R level earns on average about Ksh. 37,000 (Shs. 1,059,159) per month.
Meanwhile, a newly recruited primary school teacher starting at the lowest A1 salary level for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada’s largest employer of teachers, earns an average of $3736.50 (Shs. 10,165,828) per month.
A veteran primary school teacher with ten years of experience who is serving at the highest A4 salary level earns $7739.83 (Shs. 21,050,491) per month.
These earnings do not include extended healthcare and a comprehensive dental care plan which provide the teacher’s entire household with free prescription drugs and dental work.
But here is what makes the pay for Uganda teachers so inequitable and a national shame when compared to the salary that an elected Member of Parliament earns in one month.
To give you context, a newly elected Canada Member of Parliament earns a monthly salary of $13,144 (Shs. 31,831,509) in addition to a generous benefits and pension package.
The Canadian MP, in essence, earns 300 percent more money than a first time school teacher at the Toronto District School Board.
To put it another way, a Canadian MP earns in a single month what a new lowest paid Toronto teacher earns in three months.
Now, that is bad enough considering what teachers actually do in the classroom, including preparing the young ones to become contributing future citizens.
But here is the eye-popping number. A rookie member of Uganda Parliament (MP) earns about Shs. 13,000,000 million every month, not including benefits and allowances. That means in a single month of the year, the Uganda MP earns all the money that two highest paid Uganda teachers earn in a year.
Looked at another way, in just one month, the Uganda MP earns 2600 percent more money than the highest paid qualified graduate teacher. Now, that is so utterly outrageous!
Mr. President, just because Uganda teachers are considerately quiet does not mean that they are not suffering. The point is very simple.
The idea suggested (very insensitively) by some members of your cabinet that the issue of pay increase for our teachers be considered based on whether there is money in the kitty is a non starter.
The increase in teachers’ pay should have been considered in the budget delivered on June 08, 2011 by Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka. But since it was not, an emergency funding must be obtained from somewhere else.
As a teacher who has spent many hours looking at the quality of work of Uganda teachers in different parts of the country, I would recommend the government do the following.
That there be 150 percent increase in teachers’ salary over three years. The breakdown would be as follows: 75 percent immediately, 50 percent in the second year and a final 25 percent in the third year. The math then works out this way.
The lowest and the highest paid teachers would respectively earn Shs. 481,250 and Shs. 875,000 per month immediately. In the second year the salary would increase to Shs. 721,875 and Shs. 1,312,500 respectively. In the final year this works out to Shs. 902,343 and Shs. 1,640,625 per month respectively.
Mr. President, given the demand for educated graduates in the 21st Century, this is a small sacrifice for a developing young country like Uganda. The increased level of students’ success will be more than worth the investments that Uganda puts into its teachers today.
The bottom line is that the teachers cannot, year after year, continue to put quality work into educating young Ugandans while at the same starving at home. It is no way to treat those who are the vanguards of development. Your intervention will be affirming your commitment which you have stated time and again toward a highly educated population.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca
Teachers after all are vital to a progressive society, and Uganda teachers are among the most dedicated in the profession.
A society that values its teachers, promotes them and pays them well is a society that is moving toward becoming a developed society.
There are several issues that relate to the inadequacy of teacher’s pay. This includes, among others, poor morale, high rate of absenteeism, and lack of focus on students’ achievement as teachers look for opportunities to augment meager salaries.
But nothing compares to the anger that is generated by the inequity of a public service system that punishes teachers for working hard daily to educate children in the many primary and secondary schools across the country.
For instance, as pointed out by various authors last week, Uganda’s teachers are not unreasonable in demanding immediate salary increase.
The average pay for a Uganda primary school teacher is Shs. 275,000. Depending on the grade level and qualifications, secondary school teachers earn Shs. 330,000 and Shs. 500,000 respectively.
Yet, regardless of qualification and experience, Uganda teachers are far behind when compared to teachers in neighbouring Kenya, and more so when compared to teachers in Canada.
In neighbouring Kenya, the lowest paid non-graduate primary school teacher at the Group F level earns around Ksh. 13,000 (Shs. 372,114) while the highest paid graduate teacher at the Group R level earns on average about Ksh. 37,000 (Shs. 1,059,159) per month.
Meanwhile, a newly recruited primary school teacher starting at the lowest A1 salary level for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada’s largest employer of teachers, earns an average of $3736.50 (Shs. 10,165,828) per month.
A veteran primary school teacher with ten years of experience who is serving at the highest A4 salary level earns $7739.83 (Shs. 21,050,491) per month.
These earnings do not include extended healthcare and a comprehensive dental care plan which provide the teacher’s entire household with free prescription drugs and dental work.
But here is what makes the pay for Uganda teachers so inequitable and a national shame when compared to the salary that an elected Member of Parliament earns in one month.
To give you context, a newly elected Canada Member of Parliament earns a monthly salary of $13,144 (Shs. 31,831,509) in addition to a generous benefits and pension package.
The Canadian MP, in essence, earns 300 percent more money than a first time school teacher at the Toronto District School Board.
To put it another way, a Canadian MP earns in a single month what a new lowest paid Toronto teacher earns in three months.
Now, that is bad enough considering what teachers actually do in the classroom, including preparing the young ones to become contributing future citizens.
But here is the eye-popping number. A rookie member of Uganda Parliament (MP) earns about Shs. 13,000,000 million every month, not including benefits and allowances. That means in a single month of the year, the Uganda MP earns all the money that two highest paid Uganda teachers earn in a year.
Looked at another way, in just one month, the Uganda MP earns 2600 percent more money than the highest paid qualified graduate teacher. Now, that is so utterly outrageous!
Mr. President, just because Uganda teachers are considerately quiet does not mean that they are not suffering. The point is very simple.
The idea suggested (very insensitively) by some members of your cabinet that the issue of pay increase for our teachers be considered based on whether there is money in the kitty is a non starter.
The increase in teachers’ pay should have been considered in the budget delivered on June 08, 2011 by Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka. But since it was not, an emergency funding must be obtained from somewhere else.
As a teacher who has spent many hours looking at the quality of work of Uganda teachers in different parts of the country, I would recommend the government do the following.
That there be 150 percent increase in teachers’ salary over three years. The breakdown would be as follows: 75 percent immediately, 50 percent in the second year and a final 25 percent in the third year. The math then works out this way.
The lowest and the highest paid teachers would respectively earn Shs. 481,250 and Shs. 875,000 per month immediately. In the second year the salary would increase to Shs. 721,875 and Shs. 1,312,500 respectively. In the final year this works out to Shs. 902,343 and Shs. 1,640,625 per month respectively.
Mr. President, given the demand for educated graduates in the 21st Century, this is a small sacrifice for a developing young country like Uganda. The increased level of students’ success will be more than worth the investments that Uganda puts into its teachers today.
The bottom line is that the teachers cannot, year after year, continue to put quality work into educating young Ugandans while at the same starving at home. It is no way to treat those who are the vanguards of development. Your intervention will be affirming your commitment which you have stated time and again toward a highly educated population.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca