Prime Minister lauds Kagadi teachers for being patriotic as they continue teaching

By: Ismael Kasooha

KAGADI

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has lauded Teachers in Kagadi District for being patriotic as they continued teaching despite the industrial action orchestrated by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU).

“I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart that what you are doing shows how  patriotic you are  and considerate of our children who need to study,” said Nabbanja.

At the sidelines of the Parish Development model sensitization meetings, Nabbanja made an impromptu visit to Kagadi Government-Aided secondary school with an enrollment of over 2,545 students and business was going on normally.

Sebastian Semakula, the head teacher of Kagadi Secondary School told the Prime Minister that although they want salary enhancement as Arts teachers, laying down tools affects the innocent students who lost close to two years during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“We are behind the industrial action because we also want salary enhancement but we decided to continue teaching because these children lost close to two years during the COVID-19 lockdown and we don’t want them to lose more time,” said Semakula.

Semakula briefed the Prime Minister that the school is operating amidst several challenges and appealed for government intervention.

“We need 80 teachers because of the high enrollment but we currently have just 20 teachers on government payroll; the rest are being paid by parents. Both the library and laboratories are very small to accommodate all these students,” said Semakula.

Nabbanja supported the school by donating iron sheets, sh5m for timber to roof the building that is being constructed by parents and also bought two bulls for the students to feast on.

Nabbanja appealed to students to be disciplined and respect the elders if they are to be successful and responsible citizens.

“You need to respect your teachers, the elders, live within your means and work hard in class if you want to succeed in life and become responsible citizens,” said Nabbanja.

Some of the students appealed to teachers in other parts of the country to also abandon the strike because it’s the children who are losing a lot.

Collins Atuhaire a Senior Five student said that although the teachers demand for salaries is genuine, laying down tools will affect them as students.

“We also want to be responsible citizens in future but when teachers decide to lay down tools they are affecting our studies and we may end up not achieving our goals and targets,” said Atuhaire.

This comes at a time when a section of Members of Parliament want the government to introduce a supplementary budget to also increase the salaries of the Arts teachers.

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