Over 100 TVET instructors protest sacking
More than 100 Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) instructors served with notice of being scrapped off the Education Services Commission payroll have protested their termination.
In their last meeting with the assistant commissioner in charge of TVET at the Ministry of Education and Sport, the angry instructors were called for verification and filling transfer forms of the educational service commission being referred back where they came from to be promoted to technical institutions.
“I have served for 17 years, teaching English at Kitagwenda Technical Institute in Kitagwenda District, but then I held a diploma in secondary education. Over the years I have been studying and now I have masters. How do you tell me to go back to secondary school without revising my payments?” one of the angry instructors said.
Some of the affected instructors are Jackson Katyaba attached to Bamunanika Technical Institute in Luwero teaching life skills, Ms Goreti Kauma attached to Kadogo Polytechnic Institute in Mbarara, Godfrey Nuwagaba attached to Kitagwenda Technical Institute in Kitagwenda Dstrict teaching English, Francis Kweyamba attached polytechnic Sembabule and others.
Nuwagaba, leader of the affected persons continued to challenge their sacking.
“Some of us have been paid as science instructors taking us back to secondary schools could affect our salary status. So if they are tired of us, let us know so as we retire," he said.
But the Assistant Commission in charge of TVET, Mr Edward Turyatemba, said to be directly involved in this restructuring has refuted allegations life skills instructors are making but declined to go into detail.
"Their claims are not true but if you want details to that call Ministry of Education spokesperson," Turyatemba said.
The spokesperson, Dennis Mugimba, was not available on his known telephone number.
The affected TVET instructors were formerly trained as secondary school teachers and got hired in TVET as instructors.
Their elimination leaves a gap in teaching of life skills at technical institutions.
