No money for teachers, says government

 

Unatu district chairpersons raise their hands in support of a strike during a meeting in Kampala last week. PHOTO | NMG 

In Summary

• On Thursday, Mr Museveni made a U-turn directing that a committee to be headed by Education Minister Jessica Alupo be formed with an aim of finding money to meet the teachers’ 20 per cent pay rise.

Kampala. The Minister of Finance, Ms Maria Kiwanuka, yesterday said there was no money for teachers’ salary increment, days after President Museveni directed that money be allocated. She was backed by her technical team explaining that the Treasury cannot afford to pay any more money to teachers than it has currently budgeted for.

Speaking at a dialogue organised by the Civil Society Advocacy Budget Group with the parliamentary Finance Committee, the acting director of the Budget in the Mnistry of Finance, Mr Kenneth Mugambe, said: “Out of Shs2.3 trillion wage Bill, nearly a trillion is spent in salaries in the Education sector alone.”

“If we increase the salaries, it means we will need close to Shs400 billion. And the moment you do that, you would have created another demand - because health workers, policemen, people in defence will all want a pay rise. And this is not sustainable.”

On Thursday, Mr Museveni made a U-turn directing that a committee to be headed by Education Minister Jessica Alupo be formed with an aim of finding money to meet the teachers’ 20 per cent pay rise.

“The President has directed that the 20 per cent increment for teachers’ pay be paid. The minister is supposed to analyse the budget and find the money,” Mr James Tweheyo, the general secretary of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union, said after the union’s meeting with the President.

However, Ms Kiwanuka yesterday indicated she was not aware of the directive, saying: “If the teachers think that the money is somewhere then let them direct the minister (Ms Alupo) to where the money is.” But the teachers, through their association Unatu, yesterday insisted that they will not open Third Term if the government does not honour its pledge by September 16.