State Minister for Primary Education, Joyce Moriku Kaducu, has assured Parliament that the government is committed to addressing the salary disparities between science and humanities teachers, noting that the matter will be incorporated into the next Financial Year’s National Budget.
Kaducu made the disclosure while responding to concerns raised by Workers MP, Abdulhu Byakatonda, who asked government to convene an inter-ministerial meeting to conclusively settle the welfare inequalities that have fueled strikes in schools across the country.
Byakatonda had warned that the ongoing industrial actions by teachers and local government workers were crippling service delivery and putting learners’ education at risk.
He stressed the need for urgent dialogue between the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Local Government to restore normalcy in schools.
In her response, Kaducu acknowledged the gravity of the situation but emphasized that government had already committed to improving the welfare of teachers.
“I want to thank my colleague Hon Byakatonda for raising this matter of national importance. True, there is an ongoing industrial action but Mr Speaker, as he stated, there is also an ongoing negotiation, dialogue to see to it that we come to a common table and we agree,” Kaducu said.
She reassured Parliament that the government’s pledge to harmonize teachers’ salaries remains intact, pointing out that the budgeting process was already underway to accommodate these concerns.
“There was already a commitment from government of Uganda that we really cater for our teachers at all levels and this commitment is still on. What I can say is that we have just started the budgeting circle and this commitment is being factored into the budget for next Financial Year,” she added.
