By Sarah Achen Kibisi.
Parliament has rejected the selective salary enhancements for science teachers and wants salary pay rise for all public servants in the country to avert strikes from other sectors.
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among while presiding over the House said that on the Issue of salary enhancements “You cannot give what you don’t have, if you don’t have you rather say you don’t have but you cannot keep promising what you cannot fulfill” You will find the public out there complaining that, why are MPs paid very high? Are we scientists? And yet we get very little money.
“There is a need to create some kind of equity, there are no people who are more important than others”, said Rt. Hon. Speaker.
The Speaker was commenting on issues pertaining to industrial action by teachers and local government workers.
The Minister of Public Service, Hon. Muruli Mukasa said government remains committed in enhancing the salaries for Public Servants in a phased manner with the Pay Policy Principles and Targets approved by Cabinet in 2017. He noted that Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) did not give a ninety days notice as required under Section 7(2) of the Act.
The Opposition Shadow Minister of Education, Hon. Brenda Nabukenya gave an alternative statement and noted that Education Minister’s statement is full of Government’s wish to transform the country through science against humanities without evidence from anywhere in the world.
She said the move to treat workers of the same level such as teachers of a Senior five class differently is in total contravention of Art. 21 and 40(2) of the Constitution which provides for equity amongst Ugandans who are providing similar services.
Mawokota County North MP, Kayiga Hillary Innocent said that Uganda is largely an artistic Nation. He added that much as the country wants the innovations, the arts industry has taken Uganda to the level it is now.
Opposition Chief Whip Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe said the Minister’s statement is shallow as it did not have a commitment on whether government would constitute a Salaries Review Board or Commission.
Kyaka Central County MP, Bright Tom Amooti appealed to Ministry of Education to have a clear distinction between science and arts subjects in schools. “He has the narrative that science teachers are equivalent to doctors which is wrong because doctors spend six years in University.
Kalungu West MP, Joseph Ssewungu told the house that no one should lie to the house that teachers in schools are teaching, he said they were not teaching because they were sent back under duress.
Kimanya Kabonera , Masaka city MP, Abed Bwanika expressed disappointment that it is wrong for the government to discriminatively enhance the salaries of teachers based on whether they are scientists or artists.
Gulu ity MP, Hon. Betty Aol called upon the government to enhance the salaries of all teachers. She said that enhancing salaries discriminatively would cause disharmony among teachers which will affect the education sector in the long run.
Hoima Woman MP, Harriet Businge is concerned that whereas UNATU organization agreed that teachers go back to work, most of the teachers are not in agreement with the decision and some are not teaching. She asked the Minister of Public Service to interest himself with what is happening in schools, adding that teachers didn’t willingly choose to go back to schools.
Lira East Division MP, Akena James Michael, said that not all people are going to be scientists. He guided that the education system should be able to enhance the gifts that children have. “We need to develop their talents and put it at a level where they can be competitive. We cannot transform this society if we have disgruntled teams. There are better ways to incentivize science teachers without demoralizing arts teachers,” Akena said.
Nyabushozi County MP, Wilson Kajwengye said we cannot transform this society if we have disgruntled teams. There are better ways to incentivize science teachers without demoralizing arts teachers. He noted that there are better ways of incentivizing science teachers without demoralizing arts teachers. He said that the teachers can be paid the same equal pay but incentivize science teachers.
Nebbi Woman MP, Agnes Acibu is concerned that even when teachers have decided to suspend the industrial action, it remains unclear whether they are indeed performing their jobs in the classrooms
Female Workers MP, Hon. Agnes Kunihira noted that it is not right to pay people doing the same work different salaries. She says that this vice of paying discriminatively will be adopted by the private sector which is very dangerous for the country. Bukooli County Central, Solomon Silwany is concerned that it doesn’t make sense for the government to pay science teachers more money than the arts teachers when there are no laboratories and equipment in most schools.
Speaker Among ruled that the Ministry of Public Service should know that the industrial action by UNATU amounts to sabotage for teachers to adamantly refuse to go to work unless everybody is paid well now or everybody is democratically underpaid. There is need to harmonize remuneration scale throughout the public Service. This will promote equity and equality. We are all the same and do the same work; there are no people who are more important than others ■
