Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A 15% promised salary increment is a mockery to the Ugandan teachers

Vincent Nuwagaba
Ever since the teachers started their strike, I haven’t written about it. Not because, I was indifferent to their concerns but because I wanted to first gather ample views about their industrial action. It has now emerged that their industrial action has come to a halt even when their demands have been snubbed by the political leadership. What’s more disturbing is that the teachers’ industrial action ended in the wake of threats by the prime minister whose office is allotted billions of taxpayers’ money and his daily expenditure evidently far surpasses a teacher’s monthly salary as though the prime minister is superhuman while a teacher is subhuman.
As a human rights defender, I hold three principles dear, viz; human dignity, equality and non-discrimination. These principles should take centre stage as we analyse the plight of teachers. With due respect to Mr Amamba Mbabazi, our dear prime minister, some teachers are as educated as he is. What makes him believe that he has an inherent right to earn millions from taxpayers’ money while teachers are paid peanuts? personally, rarely do I need the services of a minister and politicians generally (if we have functional technocrats) but I will be terribly hurt if teachers denied us their services. I am a political scientist because of teachers; Mbabazi is a lawyer, MP and premier because of teachers and by the way Mbabazi’s boss is a president courtesy of teachers.
Personally, I hold all my teachers in high esteem including those who harassed me and those who taught me mathematics although I didn’t pass it. Actually, in terms of hierarchy and closeness, my teachers are second to my parents. Indeed they are also my parents! To all my teachers right from Kigarama Primary school, Kigarama, Kanyabwanga and Bubangizi Secondary schools up to Makerere University, I must say thank you and long live. Because I love teachers, I empathise and sympathise with them and call upon all well-meaning Ugandans to fight their battle for their battle is a battle for the welfare of our children.
I spent the weekend of 10th and 11th September in Bitereko my place of birth, upbringing and study and shared pleasantries with my primary and secondary school teachers together with some old students who joined the teaching profession. I told them first that while I sympathise with them, I am disappointed that they could settle for too little. Imagine, asking for a monthly salary of Sh500,000 in the current Uganda. Mr Bigirwamukama, a head teacher of Karangara Primary School told me he spends Sh4m every term for he has dependents but also his children are in relatively good schools. He has to sell his cattle but also mortgage his land to acquire loans to pay fees for his children and dependents. Ultimately, while he works for government, he is perpetually and incessantly indebted. Many teachers are insolvent because their liabilities far outweigh their assets and incomes. Fred Muhumuza, a parent for Kigarama Primary school justified the need for enhancement of teachers’ salaries by proving statistically that even the 100% increment they need is just a drop in the ocean. Muhumuza considered a teacher with a small family of six members and said if Sh500,000 was divided among six members each member would get Sh83,000 an amount that cannot push them for a month considering medical care, feeding, transport, clothing and other basics. Surely, the 500,000 that teachers need is barely enough to solve even 10% of their financial woes. Donozio Tumugabirwe an LCI Chairman for Katwe II said, “The money they demand is too little, and sadly government has blatantly refused to grant it”. It is clear that even if they were paid Sh1m a month, teachers would still not enjoy but it gives them a breathing space.
I continued the debate on teacher’s welfare when I was aboard a bus coming to Kampala on Monday, September 12th and some Engineer told me, “In simplest way, we are not better than Uganda Kobs which we have left in the National Park because whenever a Kob falls into a ditch the other one jumps it and doesn’t care about the fallen one”. However, I would think that Kobs are better than many Ugandan leaders because they don’t exploit each other. With us, someone arrogates himself powers (for the case of those who use the gun and buy votes) to collect taxes from us. This revenue is ordinarily supposed to be put in a national till for social welfare purposes. Shockingly, this money cannot enhance teachers’ meagre incomes; cannot equip health centres with drugs and a road that should have four lanes ends up with two and piliferage has become fashionable. I have a hunch that Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) leaders have had their palms oiled (read bribed) to call off the strike when no visible fruits have been born.
I read an article by a one Mike Ssegawa titled, “Let’s get real; teachers don’t deserve salary increment now” and I was dismayed at the base analysis. Can we have lawyers, doctors, engineers or journalists without teachers? Oh my God! The teaching profession is a mother to all the other professions and it cannot be less important than other professions. At least, some of us who have had an opportunity to go to school should refrain from such debates. It’s like indulging in a debate on whether mother is better than father! It’s common knowledge that teachers play a complementary role to the parents. In fact, teachers spend more time with our children, buy for them sweets, playing kits and nurse them. Accordingly, teachers shape our children more than parents. Some parents especially fathers take days if not months to see their children. How do we despise and condemn the shapers of our country’s future to misery, poverty, hopelessness and frustration. It’s high time we paid our teachers at least Sh1m per month. How do we expect them to teach our children when they are hungry and angry? What if they poison our children with wrong information and formulae? We must know that their plight has just been postponed and most likely it will grow bigger. Government’s proposal for a 15% pay raise to the noble profession is a mockery because they also want their children to become lawyers, doctors and engineers and must be opposed by all well-meaning Ugandans. Ask me the two most important people in my life I will show you my parent and my teacher.
The writer is a human rights defender with keen interest in socio-economic rights
Email: mpvessynuwagaba@gmail.com

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