Museveni Warns of Tough Action against Striking Teachers

President Yoweri Museveni has warned that teachers currently on strike over salary disparities risk losing their jobs if they do not return to classrooms.

The warning follows a three-week strike by Arts teachers under the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), who on September 15 laid down their tools to protest what they call unequal treatment in government pay structures.

The teachers accuse the government of creating an unfair divide between science and arts educators after selective salary increments in the 2022/2023 financial year left out large sections of the teaching workforce, particularly in primary and post-primary institutions.

While addressing residents of Lango on Tuesday evening, Museveni dismissed the ongoing strike as “selfish and misplaced,” saying the government has a long-term plan to harmonise salaries across the public service, but will do so based on national priorities. He argued that Uganda, like any recovering economy, must allocate limited resources strategically rather than “spend blindly to please everyone at once.” 

Museveni reiterated his belief that scientists are currently more urgently needed to drive development in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and industry. “You cannot build a road with literature,” he said, noting that while arts education remains valuable, science and technology professionals are critical for national transformation.

He accused striking teachers of undermining government efforts to rebuild the country’s education system, describing their industrial action as “betrayal” at a time when the government is working to improve free education and recruit additional teachers. 

On his first day of campaign in Amolatar District, President Museveni announced that the government plans to recruit an additional 50,000 teachers to reinforce free education, warning government officials and school leadership to refrain from charging fees in public schools. 

Museveni’s remarks came days after the Minister for Public Service, Wilson Muruli Mukasa, issued a seven-day ultimatum for the striking teachers to resume duty or be deleted from the government payroll. The ministry maintains that comprehensive pay enhancement for all teachers and local government staff will only be implemented in the next financial year.

However, UNATU has stood its ground, vowing not to return to class or participate in the supervision and invigilation of this year’s national examinations unless their grievances are addressed. The standoff has left many public schools crippled, exacerbating existing teacher shortages and threatening to derail academic progress.

Uganda’s education sector has long grappled with inadequate staffing and poor remuneration. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics reported in 2019 that Uganda’s pupil-teacher ratio stood at 55:1 in primary schools, well above the global standard of 40:1. By 2023, the country required at least 107,000 additional teachers to meet acceptable standards and improve learning outcomes.