Ssenyonyi Leads Call for Pay Equity as Arts Teachers Strike Over Wage Gap

The widening pay gap between science and arts teachers in Uganda has sparked an urgent call for government intervention in Parliament, with Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, urging the tabling of a supplementary budget request to address the ongoing crisis.

During a heated plenary session on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, Ssenyonyi warned that the strike by arts and humanities teachers, which began earlier this month, was spiraling into a nationwide education emergency, with serious implications for students across the country.

“They [arts teachers] are not second-class citizens. They teach, they work, they assess learners—just like science teachers do. But they are being paid less than a quarter of what their colleagues earn. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Alarming Disparity in Pay and Pension

According to government pay structure data, graduate science teachers earn Shs 4 million per month, and diploma holders earn about Shs 3 million. In stark contrast, most arts teachers earn less than Shs 1 million, despite holding equivalent qualifications and performing comparable workloads.

The disparity has caused widespread anger and led to teachers refusing to conduct student assessments, particularly in secondary schools, raising alarms about the academic calendar and student welfare.

Ssenyonyi further criticized the management crisis that arises when arts-qualified headteachers supervise science teachers who earn significantly more than them, undermining leadership and morale within the education sector.

He also referenced the Auditor General’s 2024 report, which showed that some retired science teachers earn higher monthly pensions than the net salaries of currently serving arts teachers.

“Cut Corruption, Fund Education”

The Opposition leader didn’t mince words in suggesting where funds could be sourced.

“The IGG says Uganda loses over Shs 10 trillion to corruption annually. If we can stop stealing taxpayer money, we’ll have more than enough to pay teachers fairly,” he declared, calling out what he described as government misprioritization.

Government Response: Dialogue, But No Solution Yet

Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua, responded by assuring Parliament that the Ministry of Education is engaging with representatives of arts teachers and that discussions are ongoing in a spirit of dialogue.

“There is no intimidation at all. We believe in dialogue and consensus,” Obua told the House.

The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, who acknowledged the urgency and legitimacy of the concerns raised. He directed the sector minister to return with a progress report once negotiations with teachers conclude.

Education Ministry Claims Progress

Minister of State for Higher Education, Hon. Chrysostom Muyingo, offered further updates, stating that multiple meetings had been held with the striking teachers and that their leadership had agreed to temporarily suspend the strike pending further consultations.

“Government is committed to raising salaries for all public servants fairly and sustainably,” Muyingo assured, promising that feedback from the consultations would be shared with Parliament by Thursday.

However, no clear roadmap or financial proposal was tabled, leaving the status of arts teachers' grievances unresolved for now.

Broader Pay Disparities in Public Service Highlighted

The pay equity debate extended beyond education, as Hon. Sarah Opendi (NRM, Tororo District Woman Representative) raised red flags about salary imbalances among government-employed legal officers.

“There is a serious pay disparity between lawyers in the Uganda Police Force and those in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Attorney General’s Chambers,” she said.

Opendi warned that this imbalance was triggering a mass exodus of skilled legal officers from the police service to other, better-paying departments—weakening justice delivery, particularly in investigative and law enforcement institutions.

She added that an earlier parliamentary appeal to rectify the issue had gone unheeded and challenged the Attorney General to report back to Parliament with an updated position.

Deputy Speaker Demands Swift Action

Deputy Speaker Tayebwa supported both Ssenyonyi’s and Opendi’s calls for redress and transparency.

“We cannot keep promising fairness and doing nothing. Both the education and legal sectors are pillars of our society. We must treat their workers with fairness and respect,” Tayebwa said, emphasizing that wage disparity is a national integrity issue, not just an administrative one.

He directed the Attorney General to provide a formal update to Parliament on the legal officers’ pay situation and reaffirmed the House’s commitment to equitable pay reforms across public service.

Outlook: Will Parliament Act?

While consensus appears to be building within Parliament for addressing teacher and legal staff pay disparities, concrete budgetary action remains pending. The call for a supplementary budget request remains the clearest option presented so far for an immediate solution, but its approval would depend on executive backing and fiscal room.

For now, the teachers’ strike may be paused, but the crisis is far from over. As November’s national exams draw near and public service morale continues to drop, Parliament’s next steps will determine whether dialogue can yield justice—or merely buy time.