By AGGREY BULUBA
Kampala – The belated celebrations for World Teachers’ Day in Uganda, held on October 12, 2024, were meant to be a joyous occasion. But if you took a closer look, it seemed more like a mix between a funeral and a wedding. Arts teachers arrived looking as if they were attending a burial, while their science counterparts seemed ready to party like it was 1999!
Filbert Baguma, the Secretary General of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), summed it up best: “We looked like guests at two very different events!” The reason? A glaring disparity in the paychecks of science and arts teachers.
President Museveni, in his usual calm demeanor, urged the non-science teachers to “hold their horses,” promising a salary increment for all—but only when the economy rebounds. Baguma, speaking on behalf of the art teachers, remarked that while patience is a virtue, you can’t eat it for dinner.
The art’s teachers have been waiting so long for their slice of the pie that they’re beginning to think someone hid the oven. But as Museveni reassured, when the economy improves, the salary increase will come—eventually, like rain in the dry season.
In the meantime, art’s teachers are left hoping their payday will one day arrive in full measure, pressed down, and overflowing—just like their science colleagues’ bank accounts!
However, many teachers still ask, “How long must we wait for the cow to fatten before we can grab a chunk?”
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