Agency
Science secondary school headteachers have become one of the highest-paid groups of public officers at the local government level, with their monthly salary now increased to UGX 6.5 million.
This development follows a revised salary structure issued by the Ministry of Public Service in a circular dated November 19, 2024.
The document, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate, outlines updated salary scales for post-primary teachers, laboratory staff, and specific officers within the Uganda Police Force and Prisons Services.
Under the new structure, science headteachers will see their pay jump from UGX 2.3 million to UGX 6.5 million, while science deputy headteachers will receive an increase from UGX 1.7 million to UGX 4.5 million.
These changes are effective July 2024, which means that the beneficiaries will be getting retroactive top-up payments for four months.
However, the salary disparities remain stark for arts headteachers and their deputies, who continue to earn their previous salaries.
This creates a unique situation in schools where a science deputy headteacher will earn double the pay of an arts headteacher. While science headteachers and their deputies receive what is being described as an early Christmas gift from the government, primary school teachers and those teaching humanities and arts subjects are left with gloomy faces, opposing the salary disparity that has seen them earning “peanuts” while science teachers laugh their way to the bank.
