Unfulfilled promises: Science headteachers and deputies left in limbo 

Science headteachers and deputies have threatened a country wide strike over unfilled government promise of salary enhancement.

Ewo Moi Joshua the Chairperson of science head teachers and deputy head teachers said the unfilled promise has left many disgruntled.

This is in line with the July 1, 2023, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's directive, quoted No P0/9, to the Minister of Public Service, Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa.

"The directive aimed at enhancing the salaries of science secondary school headteachers and deputy headteachers, addressing the issue that these educators were being penalized for holding administrative positions."

The letter, influenced by Hon. First Lady  Janet Kataha Museveni, highlighted the disparity in treatment and called for immediate action.

This presidential directive was met with jubilation among the affected educators. However, a year has passed since the directive, and two years since the enhancement of science teachers' salaries, with no progress made.

"Science headteachers and deputies are left questioning, "Who is punishing us?"Follow-up inquiries revealed that public service officers had promised inclusion in the Compensation Scale Implementation (CSI) for FY2024/2025.

Unfortunately, the released CSI did not reflect this inclusion," said Ewo.

The situation is especially dire in rural schools, where these educators are often the most overloaded. For instance, as a deputy headteacher at Lolachat Seed Secondary School in Nabilatuk District, Gyaviira Kakuru revealed that he Imteachs both chemistry and mathematics, averaging four lessons a day and over 20 lessons a week.

This workload is comparable to that of a science administrator, yet we face unjust punishment for our leadership roles.

"NowYou wonder, head teachers are teaching, deputy head teachers are teaching science subjects but the discrimination is here.

We are calling upon the president his excellence to make an follow up on his directive that is not being implemented by any body at whatsoever, " Mr. Ewo appealed.

Ojokit Sarah Odong, headteacher of Onono Memorial College in Omoro District, finds this treatment irrational and calls upon the First Lady  Janet Kataha Museveni to intervene.

Similarly, Maurice Tugume, deputy headteacher at Namanoga S.S., urges an investigation into why the presidential directive is being ignored, suggesting potential corruption within the ministries.

The plight of science headteachers and deputies remains unresolved. We urge President Museveni and First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni to address this issue urgently.

It is not the salary alone, head teachers have equally raised an alarm over deliberate refusal of promotions by science teachers to the position of head teachers and deputy head teachers as they see no value in being administrators who take home 1.7m compared to the four millions paid to the science teachers.

To make matters worse even those who get promoted, they get their salaries slashed from 4m to 1.7 m once they accept such positions which is creating confusion.

" Our promotion was based on exceptional classroom performance, and we continue to bear heavy teaching loads. We plead for justice and fair treatment," head teachers disclosed.

Rose Akello a head teacher at Bubulo senior secondary school disclosed that they have since done all the science work from marking with Uganda National examinations board to being head teachers.

" We have actually laid the foundation for the science that president Museveni boosts of , " she disclosed.