The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) Party has joined the rest of the arts teachers in the battle against discrimination in teachers’ salaries, where science teachers receive a salary that doubles that of the arts teachers.

According to Sharon Oyat Arach, the UPC spokesperson, the government should enhance the lives of teachers through equal pay, as teachers gear up to celebrate International Teachers Day on Saturday, October 5, 2024.

“As a party whose aim is to fight ignorance across the country, we know the contribution and importance of teachers in the growth and development of our country. Therefore, as UPC, we call upon the government to improve the lives of our teachers through equal pay,” Oyat said.

While addressing the members of the press on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at the party headquarters at Uganda House in Kampala, Oyat noted that the government should improve infrastructure in terms of schools and access to roads to ease the transport of teachers and students to schools.

“Some of these teachers are not provided with breakfast, lunch, and also a few allowances that motivate them to go to the classrooms and conduct lessons; you see, we are saying there should be a bare minimum salary that the government must provide for these teachers to be able to educate our nation,” Oyat added.

During an interview, Stephen Majala, a teacher of history and divinity at St. Johns Secondary School in Luwero District, said that the government has not done enough to enhance the lives of teachers, stating that the government should deliberate to close the gap in salary rates earned by both science and arts teachers.

According to Majala, art teachers feel less important in schools because of poor pay, stating that students have also become indiscipline by undermining art teachers.

“I cannot say that the government has done enough to motivate us, the arts teachers, because the salary gap is too huge. I don’t have any issues with the salary of science teachers; however, the government can try to reduce that gap. If a science teacher is earning UGX 4 million, then let an art teacher earn UGX 2 million,” Majala said.

The monthly salary of a secondary school science teacher is now between UGX 2.5m and UGX 4.2m. On the other hand, the highest-paid U3 scale arts teachers receive UGX 1.3 million, and those on the U5 scale earn UGX 784,214. However, the government has given hope to arts teachers about salary enhancement.