Editorial
The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has declared a nationwide strike, instructing members to stay out of classrooms when the third term starts on September 15, 2025.
The action targets long-standing salary gaps that have fuelled repeated disputes in the education sector.
Filbert Baguma, the UNATU General Secretary, told Mega Fm the move follows three years of fruitless talks with government.
The last major UNATU strike in 2022 ended after a tense meeting with President Yoweri Museveni.
The president told the union leaders that salary increases were not possible at the time because government had prioritized science teachers.
UNATU suspended the strike to allow negotiations, but three years later no agreement has been reached.
Meanwhile, the declaration of the beginning of term strike comes days after President Museveni told teachers who had gathered for patriotism drills at Ntare school in Mbarara that salary enhancements would begin next year.
Graduate science teachers earn a gross monthly salary of UGX 4 million, taking home about UGX 2.8 million after tax.
Graduate arts teachers take home between UGX 672,000 and UGX 754,600. Diploma-level science teachers earn about UGX 1.54 million net, while their arts counterparts earn between UGX 521,500 and UGX 548,800.
