KAMPALA — Private school proprietors are up in arms over a government directive to pay their teachers’ salary arrears during lockdown.
They are wondering where government wants them to get money to pay their teachers when the institutions were abruptly closed in March before most of the parents cleared the fees.
The private owners who are set to address the media on the same together with teacher’s Union later today insist that the new directive is a diversion from the demands they handed to Ministry of Education.
Mr Alex Kakooza the PS Ministry of Education wrote to school proprietors, informing them to meet their obligations and pay the teachers.
“My attention has been drawn to various reports and other workers…are not being paid their due salaries. This is to remind you that you are required to pay your employees during lockdown,” he said
The school owners have since fired back saying “The situation is not normal. You can’t come out to dictate.”
Mr Hasadu Kirabira, the Kampala representative on the Kampala National Private Educational Institutions Association (NPEIA) the communication came in at a wrong time.
“Companies have laid off their workers. Some are paying half salary. The situation is not normal. You can’t come out to dictate. We are struggling to cope. When you bring restrictions, we don’t understand. The government has our money. We have been paying taxes. This is the time to pay us back,” Mr Kirabira reasoned.
He also says the actually expected guidelines on how to reopen schools safely.
“We have managed before to pay teachers without interference from government. We have so many grievances, which we tabled to them and they have not responded,” he was quoted in local media as saying.
