The opening of third term on Monday got off to a false start in Kabale district after teachers implemented their earlier threat to resume strike over poor pay.
Several schools are closed now while those that are open, children are in classes with no teachers attending to them.
At Kabale primary school, classrooms are open but the school head teacher is the only one manning all the classes as other teachers stayed away from the school.
Gwagala Frank, the head teacher told URN that all the teachers did not turn up, adding that for him as a custodian of government property at the school, he had to turn up.
Pupils of Kikungiri primary School turned rowdy and started banging the windows and doors asking their teachers to go and teach them.
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But Warren Turyahikayo, the school head teacher ordered the pupils to go home until the situation normalizes. Three window glasses of P.7 class were smashed and the school guards were deployed to guard the office of the head teacher.
Turyahikayo says that had the children not been dismissed early they would have destroyed many properties. Levi Bitara, the Kikungiri Management Committee chairman appealed to government to speed up the negotiations with teachers and end the strike.
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Bitara says closing the schools will affect the academic performance of the pupils.
At Mwisi primary school in Kitumba Sub-County, pupils and teachers did not turn up and classrooms were closed. Grace Twinobuhingiro, the school deputy head teacher says the UNATU announcements calling on teachers to resume the strike stopped children from turning up.
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She says for her as a government custodian she will remain at school until the situation is normalized.
Meanwhile teachers at Kabale Secondary School turned up but none of them entered the classes.
They were seen seated under the sheds waiting for the directives from UNATU. Edwin Balimpa, the school head teacher was holding a stick trying to force the teachers to go to classes. He says the strike would affect the senior four and six students.
But his action of forcing teachers to teach was later on condemned by Philbert Baguma, the UNATU regional representative.
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Baguma says today it’s for class teachers and tomorrow it may be for head teachers.
He condemned some head teachers who are not supporting their teachers in the fight for their rights.
UNATU regional office also issued a statement rubbishing the Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi’s threats against calling them uncalled for.
Baguma says that for them they will not succumb to any intimidation and their 100% salary increase should be considered in this financial year.
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