By James Alomu 

Teachers of humanities and arts subjects under the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers’ Union (UPHTU) have resolved to withdraw from classroom duties starting June 6, 2025, in protest over the government’s continued neglect in enhancing their salaries.

This decision was reached during a regional engagement held at Soroti Senior Secondary School, where arts teachers from the Teso sub-region and other regional coordinators convened to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s persistent failure to address their salary concerns.

Teopista Akello, the president of UPHTU, revealed that despite previous engagements with the Ministry of Public Service and the Ministry of Education and Sports regarding salary enhancements, no positive outcomes have been realized.

“We have been told to wait repeatedly, but the waiting has become endless,” Akello said. “There has been no formal commitment or timeline for addressing our concerns. Meanwhile, the cost of living is soaring, workloads are increasing, yet the salaries remain stagnant. We can no longer meet our basic needs.”

Akello also decried the exclusion of arts teachers from salary enhancements implemented for science teachers in the last financial year, noting that the same trend has continued in the current financial year.

“We feel neglected,” she added. “We wrote to both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Service before this year’s budget was passed, but our voices were ignored once again.”

Paul Ekodu, the Teso regional coordinator for UPHTU, echoed similar sentiments, criticizing the government for making unfulfilled promises.

“This is not the first time we’ve been told to wait. History has shown that the government only listens when we take industrial action. Therefore, we are left with no option but to act,” Ekodu stated.

Arts teachers who spoke in an interview affirmed their readiness to stay away from classrooms come June 6, citing unfair treatment and a lack of recognition of their contributions to the education sector.

The impending industrial action could affect thousands of learners across the country, especially those preparing for national examinations in arts and humanities subjects.

UPHTU has called on the government to urgently address their grievances to avert a nationwide disruption in the education sector.

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