Demanding for fairness and equity, teachers maintain strike despite Speaker Anita Among pleading with them to return to classroom
During a meeting held in the Speaker’s boardroom at Parliament, Among acknowledged that the impasse was purely financial and pledged prompt parliamentary action.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has strongly urged striking teachers to return to work, promising the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) that Parliament will ensure salary enhancements for humanities teachers are fully funded and included in the 2026/27 National Budget.
The Speaker’s commitment followed a petition delivered on Wednesday, 8th October 2025, by UNATU, demanding that the government immediately address the stark salary disparities between science teachers and their counterparts in the humanities across the country.
During a meeting held in the Speaker’s boardroom at Parliament, Among acknowledged that the impasse was purely financial and pledged prompt parliamentary action.
“As Parliament of Uganda, I want to promise you that we are going to do whatever it takes to ensure that these issues are resolved, and all these things are revolving around money. I am happy that you have brought this petition before we go into a budgeting time,” Among stated.
Commitment Tied to Executive Support
To bolster confidence in her promise, Speaker Among disclosed that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is fully aware of the commitment to resolve the teachers’ welfare issues.
“I want to request of you, please go back and do the work as we handle this issue. Now you have come to Parliament, there is no way Parliament will let you down. No way! I have given you my commitment, and the commitment I am giving you is on behalf of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,” she assured UNATU leadership. “Whatever we do here, we work together with the Executive.”
The Speaker appealed directly to the union to end the industrial action that has paralyzed learning institutions. “Let’s not paralyze the country. Let’s go back and work and this issue will be resolved. It is to our best interest that you are happy, your welfare is good because you mean a lot to this country,” she added.
Parliamentary Scrutiny Ordered
To facilitate the immediate scrutiny of the demands, Speaker Among directed the Parliament’s committees on Public Service and Education and Sports to immediately convene a joint meeting.
The goal of the joint committee is to thoroughly examine the salary disparities and advise Parliament on the necessary budgetary and policy measures.
“We are going to refer this petition to the committee of Education and Sports together with the committee of Public Service for the joint committee to look at them so that the committee advises us,” Among said, noting that the petition would also be sent to the Ministry of Public Service for executive action.
UNATU Demands Equity
During the delivery of the petition, Filbert Baguma Bates, the General Secretary of UNATU, stressed that their demand was driven by the urgent need to restore professional equity among teachers.
The union is seeking to increase the salaries of arts teachers to match the heightened pay scales currently enjoyed by science teachers, a measure implemented by the government in previous budget cycles.
“Our demand is not an excessive claim, but a measure to restore fairness and parity within the profession. It is the minimum requirement to align all teachers with their rightful place in the salary scales and uphold equity in teacher remuneration,” Baguma stated.
He warned that addressing the disparities now is crucial to preventing continuous industrial actions that disrupt the education of Ugandan learners.
The teachers’ strike has been ongoing, placing significant pressure on the government to find a sustainable and equitable solution to the remuneration gap. UNATU leadership is now expected to relay the Speaker’s commitment and plea to their members to determine if the industrial action will be suspended based on the promise of action in the 2026/27 budget cycle.
