Some government-aided schools in Jinja Municipality are running normally as teachers in other schools in the country join a two-day industrial action organised by the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU).
The teachers union is pushing for better pay.
At Victoria Nile primary school, Sarah Namuwaya, the school headmistress says lessons are going on as it has been the case always without any hindrance.
Namuwaya says as teachers they support the strike to compel government to increase their salary but that the special thing with Victoria Nile is that parents contribute some welfare fee on top of the teachers’ salaries. This top up, says the headmistress, compelled the teachers to remain on duty so as not to disappoint the parents.
When URN visited the school on Monday morning, all teachers were present and in their respective classes busy conducting lessons.
The story was almost similar at Walukuba East primary school where teachers were let down by the turn up of the pupils.
Jane Bakalikwira, the Walukuba East headmistress, says that out of 900 pupils in the school, less than 300 turned up on Monday after the strike was announced last week. Bakalikwira says all the teachers had come and were ready to teach but the pupils were few.
However, teachers of Main Street primary school have complied with the call by the teachers union to lay down their tools until government responds to their demands.
The head teacher here, Charles Opoya, says that teachers were visibly present at school but in conversations and cocoons in the staff room and under tree shades.
He says he tried to persuade them to go to classes but they told him they had to wait for an official communication from the teacher’s body.
Samuel Ngobi, a teacher at Main Street primary, says that as a parent, he is not happy when pupils are not taught but adds that he also needs to educate his children which can only be possible if teachers’ salary is increased.
Enoch Sekyanzi, a primary five pupil at the school said the pupils were in the classroom from morning up to break time without any teacher attending to them. The children remained outside playing after the mid-morning break and no teacher bothered them.
The teachers are pushing government for a 100 percent salary increment but education minister Jessica Alupo says the ministry can only afford 15 percent, which was included in the 2012/2013 financial year budget. The minister is to make a statement today over the matter.
