If Arts Subjects Are Useless, Scrap Them Off The Curriculum, Arts Teachers Tells Gov’t
Rukungiri: Arts teachers in Rukungiri District under their umbrella body, the Professional Human Teachers Union (UPHTU), have staged a peaceful protest demanding equal pay with their science counterparts.
The demonstration, held on June 16, started at Riverside Hotel where the teachers gathered for a meeting and later moved while chanting slogans like No money, no class and displaying placards with messages such as We want the government to honor its 2019 agreement, Article 40 commands you to pay us, No money, no vote, and The humanities matter.
The teachers are pushing the government to increase their salary from the current UGX 620,000 to UGX 4,000,000 matching the salary given to science teachers. They argue that despite a promise made by the government in the 2019 agreement to implement this pay rise in the 2025/2026 financial year, there has been no progress.
The chairperson of Rukungiri arts teachers Fred Turamyomwe, told our news reporter that it has been 11 days since the arts teachers laid down their tools, and they will not return to class until the government responds. He noted that teachers of subjects such as Religious Education, History, English, Business Studies, and Fine Art are increasingly frustrated, and parents should be concerned as learners are left stranded without proper education.
Turamyomwe accused the Ministry of Education of unfair treatment and called on all arts and humanities teachers to stay home until the government addresses their grievances.
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A humanities teacher at St. Gerald’s Secondary School Nyakibale Angela Boonabana, expressed disappointment over the discrimination they face. She said that while science teachers earn over UGX 4 million, arts teachers earn less than UGX 620,000, and this pay disparity has led to disrespect from both fellow teachers and students, who now view arts subjects as useless.
An assistant coordinator Kiiza Elias said that If these subjects are truly considered useless, the government should officially remove them from the curriculum so that they can focus on alternatives like farming.
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A teacher at Immaculate Heart Girls’ School Nyakibale Esau Isingoma, and Sophia Busingye echoed similar sentiments, saying that while most students are enrolled in arts subjects, the teachers are undervalued. They emphasized that arts and science teachers share the same qualifications, perform similar duties in schools, and use the same public services, yet earn vastly different salaries.
The striking teachers urged their colleagues across the country to boycott all educational duties, including teaching, setting and marking exams, invigilation, and other school-related activities until the government addresses the salary disparities.
CUE IN…..ESAU AND SOPHIA….RR//ENG