I am with teachers in their suffering!

SIR— I am writing to express my support for teachers’ demands. Teachers do a lot to shape the image and future of this country, yet they are the most undermined and poorly paid people. Consider the following situations endured by these fellow citizens: - Low payment of about sh100,000 while an MP chews sh4.5m monthly salary, sh128,000 subsistence allowance and a car worth sh20m, besides free time to attend to personal business. - Delayed payment to a tune of three months. - Working without breakfast and lunch from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday. - Many schools no longer offer houses for teachers and therefore teachers have to rent houses elsewhere. In addition to that, there is no accommodation allowance given for that matter. - Delayed access to payroll for new entrants. After posting, a teacher serves for about a year before he/she appears with single month pay and no arrears. - Big number of pupils in a squeezed classroom . - Arrogance by the head teachers. Yet these fellows get high pay of sh40,000, that is four times an ordinarily teacher and on top of the UPE allowances. - High taxation by the local government. So my questions are:- - Does the Government listen to teachers? - How does the Government rank the jobs in public service? - Is teaching therefore found to be the least in importance? Or should we say the Government has ignored teachers? Rev Alfunsi Oburo Tororo