Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to urgently respond to concerns raised by secondary school arts administrators over salary disparities with their science counterparts, warning that the matter has created strife, discontent, and division in the teaching profession.
The directive came after Abdulluhu Byakatonda, the Workers’ Representative and member of the Uganda Secondary School Arts Administrators Union (USSAAU), presented a petition during the plenary sitting on August 7, 2025.
“This matter should go directly to the Minister of Education and Sports for a quick response,” Speaker Among ruled. “Given the urgency, we will not allow bureaucracies of sending it to committees. We need action now.”
Byakatonda told Parliament that the salary gap stemmed from a 2021 presidential directive prioritizing the promotion and teaching of sciences, which saw government significantly enhance pay for science teachers and administrators, while arts counterparts received no similar increase.
He argued that the decision was discriminatory, creating unnecessary divisions in schools.
“Both arts and sciences administrators play crucial roles in delivering education. These discrepancies demotivate arts teachers and undermine service delivery,” he said.
On November 19, 2024, the Ministry of Public Service revised the salary structure for secondary school science head teachers and deputies, raising their monthly pay from Shs 2.35 million to Shs 6.5 million and from Shs 1.74 million to Shs 4.5 million, respectively. Arts administrators, however, remained at the previous pay levels.
Byakatonda called for a sustainable salary enhancement plan for both arts and science education administrators in line with Article 40(1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantees equal pay for equal work without discrimination.
He also urged government to engage public service unions in negotiations to address the disparities and restore harmony among teachers.
However, Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu questioned the Speaker’s decision to send the petition to the Ministry of Education, noting that the very ministries involved, Education, Public Service, and Finance, were responsible for creating the problem.
“These ministers initiated the difference between arts and science teachers,” Ssewungu argued. “For five years, this matter has dragged on. Wouldn’t it be better for the Education Committee, together with the Ministries of Finance and Public Service, to finally resolve it once and for all?”
Ssewungu also questioned Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni’s ability to handle the issue, pointing out that she had not attended any plenary sessions in five years. “It’s unprecedented to give such a petition to a minister who hasn’t been in the House for so long,” he remarked.
In response, Speaker Among defended her decision, challenging Ssewungu to confirm whether parliamentary rules grant her the authority to decide how petitions are handled. When Ssewungu conceded that they do, her ruling to forward the matter to the Education Minister stood.
