Parliament will on Thursday pass a motion to discuss the indiscriminate payment of teachers and the education sector.
This development comes after the Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Anita Among on Wednesday, instituted a team of five legislators to draft and present a motion and resolutions to the house for consideration
Among them include; Education Committee Chairperson, John Twesigye Ntamuhiira, the Public Service Committee Chairperson, Godfrey Onzima, Erute South MP, Jonathan Odur, Shadow Minister of Education, Brenda Nabukenya, and Workers representative, Agnes Kunihira .
This decision followed another heated debate during plenary, with Legislators refusing to agree with a statement by the Minister of Public Service, Muruli Mukasa on the salary enhancement for science teachers and commitment to pay their arts counterparts midterm.
The Mps say move contradicts the Supreme law of Uganda that ensures equity for all, they state that Articles 21 and 40 (2) of the Constitution, are being disregarded.
The legislators further insist that government institutes a better action plan regarding concerns of teachers and discriminatory pay rise in the sector.
The Shadow Minister of Education, Brenda Nabukenya, Luwero Woman MP,recommended the fast-tracking of the establishment of the Salaries Review Commission to streamline earnings for all public officers. She also recommended that the government respects the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was signed with the different workers bodies in 2018 and commit resources to fulfill the promises made there under.
”I now want a normal motion to be presented on the resolutions that the house passed on the report of education, action plan, if you (legislators) have issues to raise, that are pertinent to this ,take it to the committee, so that we don’t debate again but adopt resolutions “ Among directed
In his statement to parliament, Muruli told parliament that there has been notable increase in the pay of Public Officers over the years. He said Cabinet considered prioritizing the enhancement of scientists including science teachers in the financial year 2022/2023.
“Scientists are crucial and needed immediately in supporting agriculture, industry, information and communications technology (ICT) and infrastructural development. It is those sectors, as they expand, that will give us the money (in form of taxes) that will enable us to cover more priorities including paying all the Public Servants better,” the Minister said.
Muruli said that the government through the Office of the Vice President, Prime Minister, Ministries of Public Service and Education and Sports is still holding a number of engagements with key stakeholders in order to resolve the issues raised by the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU).
On Monday, teachers under the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) called off their strike that started on June 15th, 2022 to compel the government to enhance their salaries with equity across the board.
