Buhwejju lawmaker Hon. Francis Mwijukye has described the move by president Museveni of giving priority to science teachers over arts teachers as total madness.
Mwijjukyeade the comment while appearing on TV early this week where he blasted the fountain of honour for being biased and unfair to the rest of the teachers.
President Museveni last week firmly reiterated that there will be no pay rise for teachers of humanities, throwing into disarray a 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement under which the government pledged uniform salary increase for all teachers.
Delivering his address at the national celebration of World Teachers’ Day at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala, Mr Museveni assailed proponents of accelerated reopening of schools closed over Covid and put teachers on notice not to put him on tenterhooks over money.
The government, he argued, will prioritise higher remuneration for science teachers whom he qualified as those teaching Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and ICT at the level of secondary school and above because they directly contribute to societal advances and improved livelihoods unlike Arts counterparts.
“This idea we are telling you [is], please, we want to increase the salaries of all the teachers and all the public servants, but if we do not have enough money, what do we do? Why don’t we start with some, some that are most needed and these are the science cadres in different areas,” Mr Museveni said.
He added: “This is our ideology from the bush [when he led the guerrilla war that brought him to power in 1986]; it is not a new position. This resistance you [Arts teachers] are launching against our long-held position is not correct. I would advise you to calm down and stop obstructing our plan because it is well-thought out.”
