Government has told the Human Rights Committee of Parliament that teachers of arts subjects in secondary schools will earn the same salary as science teachers by 2027.
Muruli Mukasa, the acting minister of Public Service told the MPs that it is in their mid-term plan to enhance the salaries of arts teachers to make it at par with that of the science teachers.
Mukasa said that whereas the total amount of money needed to enhance salaries is shs800 billion, they currently have only Shs 200 billion.
Catherine Bitarakwate, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Public Service told the committee that the key issue of contention is whether government can enhance the salaries of both arts and science teachers at the same time. The salaries of science teachers were enhanced starting this financial year leading arts teachers to go on strike.
She said that they have plans in the medium term of about five years to ensure that art teachers earn the same as science teachers.
"At the end of the implementation of that plan, there will be no disparity; the disparity is brought about by current priorities and the strategic interventions," Bitarakwate said.
Recently, government announced that science teachers with degrees will start earning Shs 4 million per month while diploma holders will get Shs 3 million starting in July 2023.
Arts teachers currently get Shs 900,000.