Pay or risk Loss of licence! Education Ministry orders Private Schools to pay Teachers, Workers
Primary School teacher guides a pupil in a classroom
Kampala – The Ministry of Education and Sports has ordered Directors and proprietors of private Institutions to pay salaries of teachers and other workers or risk losing licences.
This follows worry and concern raised by teachers and workers expressing dissatisfaction over school managements’ failure to pay their salaries and arrears amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
“Since the closing of schools, I have not received a single coin to take care of my family. I am worried about my children. My hands are tied,” said Ms. Namanya Catherine, a Primary school teacher and a single mother of 5 as she frowned in dismay.
Ms. Namanya and many other teachers’ next courses of action lie in balance in the wake of unpaid salaries and arrears for the first term prompting a public outcry.
These observations prompted the Ministry of Education to swing in action to the rescue of victims thus ordering school directors to pay teachers or risk closure.
“My attention has been drawn to various reports that teachers and other workers in education institutions especially privately owned institutions are not being paid due salaries,” Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Alex Kakooza expressed concern.
According to Kakooza, the 2-months closure of schools is less than the time that was left on the first Term of 2020 including holidays.
“The budget for salaries for the first term should be adequate to pay the staff for at least 3 months,” said Kakooza.
He added, “This is, therefore, to remind you that you are required to pay your employees during the lockdown period in accordance with the Employment Act and as per the agreed employment contracts.”
According to the Ministry of Education and Sports Guidelines for staff employment in private schools and institutions, Guideline number 5(9) provides that school management shall pay the full-time staff during both
school term and school holidays.
In a recent May 19 address to the nation, President Museveni disclosed that schools and tertiary institutions will reopen on June 4 but for the only candidate classes.
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But the government should also consider the following:
1. Give stimulus to private schools proprietors
2. Desist from taxing private schools’ teachers
3. Consider education services as non profit making
As wise you may just be consoling us with real action taken to make sure that our March-June salaries are paid.
Is first term of school calender going to be compensated. In some schools fees payment had not reached 50%. Are the parents going to pay the balance of first term. Is first term going to be extended to enable school operators to demand payment from the parents. The ministry needs to look into most of these concerns and advise. The schools may end up selling buildings to pay salaries
I have spent some good years working with [private schools in fact since my time of qualification and its my first time to know that there are clauses which protect us . its good to learn about it but how many proprietors know about it and not even the teachers do .
When you talk of the contracts the schools have signed with the teachers, that always done in favor of the owner and in most cases no lawyers are part and to make matters worse they are always breached – one bad morning the boss says ” I no longer need your services ” even without any genuine reason .
My question is, how shall the ministry know that the teachers have been paid or not and then who shall report when the teachers are in fear of losing their jobs?
Private schools really need to be streamlined if justice is to be given.