Police deploy at Makerere university main gate yesterday. PHOTO BY ISAAC KASAMANI

Teachers yesterday reacted angrily to a government position presented to Parliament by the Education Minister, Ms Jessica Alupo, ordering them to go back to class, saying they cannot be intimidated.
Responding to the minister in a statement read to Parliament by the Serere Woman MP, Ms Alice Alaso, the teachers accused the minister of telling Parliament lies to the effect that they had reached a consensus with the President to call off the strike.
In the statement signed by Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) General Secretary Teopista Birungi Mayanja, the teachers vowed to continue with the strike until the government increases their salary this financial year.

“It is not right for the Minister of Education to intentionally prejudice the House by giving false information that when we met the President at State House all parties were satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations,” reads the statement signed by Ms Birungi Mayanja.
The statement says: “UNATU has not been in agreement with government’s proposal to postpone action on increment of teachers’ salaries this financial year.” Ms Eriyo yesterday insisted there will be no salary increase for teachers as MPs vowed not to pass the budget for the Ministry of Education until the increment is effected.
“Salaries will not be increased this year. Government has a policy, we no longer accept selective increments,” Ms Alupo said as MPs heckled her. Throughout yesterday, the teachers were issuing out their statement to MPs at Parliament as they awaited the afternoon debate.
The teachers insisted that during the July 28 meeting with the President, they presented a memorandum that clearly stated various demands which included a 100 per cent salary increment this financial year.
“This stand has been maintained right up to and after the meeting with the President on July 28……Thus following the state of the said negotiations, teachers resolved to continue with their industrial action until they receive satisfactorily feedback over their demands for salary increment,” they stated.
Ms Alupo on Wednesday told Parliament that a 100 per cent increment demanded by the teachers is not possible.
She threatened that whoever will not report for duty come September 5 will be sacked.
The government insists that salaries would be raised across board with effect from July 2012.
The desperate teachers who spent the entire day at Parliament yesterday said they shall not bow to the minister’s intimidation.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary Committee on Social Services yesterday recommended a phased increase in the salaries of all teachers beginning with a 20 per cent increment this financial year.
“To achieve this, the committee proposes re-allocations of Shs 29.9 billion from wasteful expenditures at the ministry headquarters to wages for teachers to partially cater for this provision. The ministry should find additional funds to realise 20 the per cent salary enhancement,” the committee chairperson, Dr Sam Lyomoki said.
MPs, like the government suggested that the 100 per cent will be effected within the next three years as majority proposed 50 per cent this year. The opposition shadow minister for education, Ms Judith Franca Akello, called on Parliament to debate the issue of salary increment for teachers soberly to ensure it is increased.
MPs debated in favour of a salary increment for teachers. In a stormy meeting organised by civil society at Hotel Africana to chart a way forward on the teachers’ salaries, they issued a communiqué to the effect that teachers’ salaries be increased immediately.
But even before government can solve the teachers’ impasse, Ms Alupo announced during a press conference yesterday that they plan to withdraw the 30 per cent allowance for teachers serving in the 22 hard-to-reach districts.
If implemented, it would mean the teachers’ pay in hard to reach areas would reduce from the current Shs 360,000 to Shs 260,000.
“We will assess the feasibility of continuing to pay the 30 per cent allowance to teachers working in the hard-to-reach areas,” said Ms Alupo said.
She said some of the areas that experienced internal conflict (the north and northeast and others like Kanungu, Ntoroko) are now more peaceful and, therefore, they no longer qualify to be regarded as hard-to-reach.
However, the Chairperson of the Social Services Committee, Sam Lyomoki, said if anything, the government should increase the number of areas categorised as hard- to-reach.
mnalugo@ug.nationmedia.com & nwesonga@ug.nationmedia.com