By KT Reporter
The Ministry of Education and Sports has directed headteachers across the country to develop and submit recovery plans to address learning disruptions caused by a month-long strike by arts teachers under the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers’ Union (UPHTU).
The industrial action, which began on June 6, 2025, stemmed from long-standing grievances over salary disparities between arts and science teachers. Science teachers received significant salary enhancements in 2022, leaving their arts counterparts behind.
Nearly 20,000 teachers across secondary schools, Primary Teachers’ Colleges, and other institutions participated in the strike, which was suspended on July 1, 2025, following government promises of phased salary increases and additional incentives.
Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, has since issued a circular directing school heads to submit detailed recovery plans to make up for the lost instructional time.
She explained that schools may extend the teaching day by an hour beyond the usual 4:00 PM or reallocate time from science subjects—whose classes were not affected—to arts subjects to ensure balanced academic recovery.
Dr. Turyagyenda made the remarks in an interview with Uganda Radio Network (URN) on the sidelines of a meeting with Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), District Education Officers (DEOs), and the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
The meeting focused on implementing competency-based assessments under the new lower secondary curriculum. In Ntungamo District, Education Officer Peace Birungi acknowledged the challenge of restoring normalcy after the strike. “The resumption is gradual, and we are focused on uplifting teacher morale to ensure effective teaching and learning. Some are yet to return to classes,” she said.
The Ministry has cautioned that arts teachers who fail to resume work as instructed risk disciplinary action, including possible termination, according to the July 9, 2025, circular. There were concerns that the strike could affect continuous assessment scores submitted to UNEB each term for Senior Three and Four students. However, UNEB Executive Director Dan Dongo downplayed those fears.
Dongo said the short duration of the strike means most schools will still be able to catch up and submit the necessary assessment data on time. The strike was driven by longstanding salary frustrations. Some arts teachers earn as little as USh 620,000 monthly, while science teachers now earn up to USh 4 million under the government’s science-priority pay policy.
UPHTU, which represents more than 17,000 arts teachers, demanded salary harmonization, arguing that both groups hold similar qualifications and carry comparable workloads. A breakthrough was reached on June 30, 2025, during a high-level meeting at State House involving President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni, and UPHTU leaders.
The government pledged a 20% salary increment beginning in the 2025/2026 financial year, along with other benefits such as staff housing and free education for teachers’ children. This prompted the union to call off the strike on July 1-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
