UPC backs arts teachers, urges govt to restore their dignity

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has thrown its weight behind Arts and Humanities teachers in their long-running fight for salary enhancement and improved working conditions, criticising the government’s selective pay policy that favored science teachers.

UPC Head of Media and Communications, Faizo Muzeyi, the party condemned the government’s decision to enhance salaries only for science teachers, describing the move as “unfair, unjust, and discriminatory.”

“This act demoralised teachers to the core, affecting their productivity. It was a grave error and a wrong policy direction,” Muzeyi said.

While welcoming the government’s recent pledge to correct the pay imbalance beginning in the 2026/2027 financial year, UPC urged that the commitment must go beyond words and translate into tangible reforms.

The party called on government to restore the dignity of Arts and Humanities teachers, which it said has been compromised due to years of neglect and reduced public esteem.

“Teachers are vital to shaping our nation’s future. Both science and arts disciplines are essential and complementary. It’s time to respect and support them equally,” Muzeyi added.

He also called for urgent improvements in teachers' welfare, particularly in housing. Muzeyi emphasised that teachers should be provided with decent accommodation within school premises, noting that they are effectively on duty 24 hours a day.

UPC’s statement follows President Museveni’s recent commitment to address Arts teachers’ grievances through a phased 25% salary increment and other welfare interventions.

Speaking during a meeting with leaders of the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers Union (UPHTU), Museveni said the government would adopt a collective, long-term solution to Arts teachers’ demands, modeled after previous reforms for the security forces.

“We can develop collective solutions for Arts teachers, similar to what we implemented for soldiers,” Museveni said, citing proposed initiatives such as staff housing and free education for teachers’ children.

He recalled the post-war salary restructuring strategy that began with raising the Chief Justice’s pay to Shs 3.5 million as a starting point for public sector wage reform.

Following the meeting with the President, Arts teachers agreed to suspend their strike and resume duties, including the marking of Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) assessments, starting Tuesday, July 1.

The strike, which began on June 6, had disrupted academic activities in many schools, affecting thousands of students nationwide.

UPHTU, which represents the teachers, is demanding salary parity with science teachers and school administrators.

Currently, Arts head teachers earn about Shs 2.3 million, deputy head teachers Shs 1.6 million, graduate teachers Shs 1 million, and diploma holders Shs 700,000.

The union says the recent national budget failed to allocate funds for their salary enhancement and insists that industrial action will resume if the government does not follow through on its promises.

State Minister for Higher Education, John Chrysostom Muyingo, has urged teachers to remain patient, assuring them that the government is committed to addressing their concerns in a phased and sustainable manner.