Ministry Apologises over Teachers’ Dimes

Francis Agura, the Acting Commissioner Secondary Education has apologised to teachers over government’s failure to effect the 20 percent pay rise as earlier promised. 
Agura says the education ministry has looked everywhere but failed to come up with the required money.
Government requires 140 billion shillings in addition to the current teacher’s wage bill to implement the 20 pay rise. Agura says they have scrutinized both the education ministerial policy statement and budget but there is no where they can get money.
His apology comes two days after teachers through Uganda National Teachers Union – UNATU announced a nationwide strike starting on Monday when the third term officially opens.
Agura discloses that government has directed the public service ministry to carry out a forensic audit on the teacher’s payroll in an effort to raise the money. The forensic audit, which is expected to last five month will end in February next year.
Agura says once some money is realized it will be used to increase the teachers’ salaries appropriately. He admitted that it was true government had hurt the teachers feeling but says their professional ethics as do not allow revenge.
Agura said if he had authority he would recruit more teachers to help with the existing workload than increase teachers’ salaries. There are only 24,000 out of the required 44,000 teachers.

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