Uganda Education News: Nakasongola teachers on strike over non payment

Ultimate Media

Over 400 primary and secondary teachers in Nakasongola are on sit down strike protesting failure by government to pay their salaries for the last two months.

The teachers are part of hundreds whose names were accidentally deleted from the payroll during changes in payment schedule effected by the ministry of public service in 2011 under the Integrated Personal and Payment System.

The teachers are now demanding payment for the months of December 2011 and January 2012. The strike has paralysed business at different schools and pupils are playing while others are in classes singing with no lessons going on.

The teachers argue they can’t teach the pupils when their own are still stranded at home due to lack of fees.

The teachers say they complained in January 2012 and the public service ministry officials ordered them to fill new forms for their money to be deposited at the end of the month but they were shocked to find no cent on their bank accounts.

Henry Kisoro, a head teacher of Kyambogo primary school explains that he has a bank loan but he has spent two months without servicing it and they have issued him a warning to either pay or his properties are impounded. He adds that he also needs the salary to look after the family and has abandoned the work to look for money elsewhere.

The Uganda National Teachers Union Nakasongola branch chairperson, Edward Ssenozi who is also among the affected teachers, says that some teachers have even failed to get transport to go back to their respective schools.

Ssenozi says that they have petitioned the district Chief Administrative Officer Sulaiman Kasozi to address their grievances to the ministries of Education, finance and public service before the end of this week.

The District Education Officer, Nakasongola district George William Kajura confirmed that the teachers were demoralized due delayed payment. He, however, downplayed their strike claiming the they were around at schools but was not sure weather they were striking or not.

He says that the district submitted their complaints to the public service ministry and the ministry promised to address the issue.