Mbale City – Teachers in Mbale have defied calls from local authorities to resume work, insisting they will not return to classrooms until government fulfills its long-standing promise of salary enhancement.
The industrial action, coordinated under the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu), has left thousands of pupils stranded as the third school term begins.
On Tuesday, Mbale Resident City Commissioner (RCC) George William Wopuwa convened a meeting with striking teachers, urging them to call off the sit-down strike and return to class as negotiations continue.
But the teachers stood firm, saying they had waited long enough.
Unatu chairperson Christopher Majeme, speaking on behalf of the teachers, said their action was not abrupt but a continuation of a struggle that began years ago. He reminded the RCC that the union had only suspended an earlier strike three years ago at the request of President Museveni, with the understanding that salaries would be enhanced.
“We are not going back to class until the government fulfills its pledge,” Majeme said. “For how long shall teachers in this country survive on Shs400,000? The government has gone silent, and our patience has run out.”
Majeme criticized what he called a discriminatory salary structure, arguing that while scientists were awarded salary increments, primary and arts teachers were sidelined.
“Science subjects cannot thrive without a strong foundation at primary level, yet teachers in lower schools remain underpaid and ignored,” he said.
He also highlighted the growing burden of loans from financial institutions, which he said had left many teachers trapped in cycles of debt.
“It is as if government wants teachers to remain poor and dependent on loans,” Majeme remarked.
While RCC Wopuwa pledged to forward the teachers’ concerns to the President, he urged them to reconsider the strike for the sake of learners.
But the teachers reiterated that the industrial action was nationwide and not confined to Mbale City.
“Teachers have been ignored for too long. This time round we need our salary increased as promised,” Majeme emphasized.
With classrooms deserted, parents and pupils in Mbale City have been thrown into uncertainty as the school term gets underway.
Education experts warn that prolonged industrial action could further erode learning outcomes in the country, which are still recovering from the effects of COVID-19 school closures.
Under Uganda’s labour laws, industrial action is permitted provided it follows due process, meaning the teachers’ strike cannot attract penalties.