By: Melanie Aanyu

Arts teachers have threatened to lay down their tools of trade when pupils return to school next month if the government does not enhance their salaries next Financial Year (FY) by 100 percent.

The teachers, in a letter addressed to the Public Service minister, questioned what they called “double standards” when the government increased salaries of their counterparts running the rule over science subjects by 300 percent.

Mr Filbert Baguma, the secretary general of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), said since the budgetary process for FY2023/2024 is still ongoing, the government should consider enhancing salaries of all arts teachers in secondary and primary schools.

The government charged the education sector into chaos in 2021 after announcing that—starting FY2022/2023—the salary for a degree-holder science teacher would increase to Shs4 million, up from Shs1.2 million, while a diploma-holder science teacher would take home three times more with a Shs3 million pay cheque. 

In an interview , Mr Baguma said if the government does not include the money for their enhancement next financial year, they will not report to class when the new term opens