As Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the World Teachers’ Day today, the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) has made a number of fresh demands to the government over the welfare of teachers.
The Secretary-General of UNATU, Filbert Baguma, says teachers are overworked, underpaid and undervalued, a situation he says has led to massive resignation of teachers from the profession to alternative ventures.
He notes that teachers are grappling with professional, economic and personal challenges worsened by the high cost of living, salary disparity between arts and science teachers, delayed promotions, inadequate scholastic materials, and overcrowded classrooms manned by a single teacher.
Baguma says despite these challenges, World Teachers’ Day remains an important day for teachers to mobilize support and create awareness about their plight.
He thus asks the government to enhance teachers’ salaries fairly without discriminating between arts and science teachers, provide funds for the operationalization of the teachers’ SACCO, support teachers’ professional development, and invest more funds in teaching and learning to make the work of the teacher easier.
