By Hannah Marion Namukasa
Government Arts and Humanities teachers have agreed to end their nearly month-long strike over salary disparities following a high-level meeting with President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady and Minister of Education Janet Museveni, and the Education and Sports Minister.
The teachers, who began their industrial action on June 6, had halted classroom instruction and threatened to boycott student coursework submissions and continuous assessment supervision. However, following Monday’s conciliatory meeting at State House, the educators announced they would resume their duties immediately and begin marking Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) assessments starting Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
In a statement released after the meeting, President Museveni emphasized the need for unity and long-term solutions to the teachers’ grievances, drawing parallels to past national sacrifices.
“During the war, we prioritised feeding the soldiers on guard duty to ensure everyone’s safety. This teamwork enabled us to persevere. Upon our return, we explored ways to thrive despite low wages, beginning with a payment of Shs3.5 million to the Chief Justice as the highest salary,” Museveni noted.
The President pledged a phased 25% salary increment for Arts teachers, alongside broader welfare improvements including the construction of staff housing and provision of free education for their children.
“We can develop collective solutions for Arts teachers, similar to what we implemented for soldiers,” he said. “This includes building homes for teachers and ensuring their children study for free, as well as implementing a phased 25% pay increase.”
The striking teachers had cited stark salary imbalances between Arts and Science educators as the root cause of their protest. According to data from their union, an Arts teacher with a university degree earns a gross monthly salary of Shs1,078,162 (approximately Shs841,931 after deductions), while their Science counterparts earn up to Shs4 million gross and take home Shs2,858,000. Diploma-holding Arts teachers earn even less—Shs784,214—compared to the Shs2.2 million paid to similarly qualified Science teachers.
Following the President’s assurances, union representatives said they were ready to collaborate with the government in implementing the proposed measures and welcomed the return to classroom activities for the benefit of learners across the country.
“We have agreed to resume work immediately, and we trust that the government will fulfill its commitment to narrowing the wage gap and improving our welfare,” one union leader stated.
The move ends one of the longest teacher strikes in Uganda’s recent history and sets the stage for renewed dialogue on education sector equity and reform.
