Uganda National Teachers’
Union (UNATU) has yet organized for a teachers’ day this year. I for one would think that teachers should
keep mourning until Uganda Government gets serious over their concerns. During those bad days as sung by many
politicians when Luyimbazi Zaake (Dr) was Minister of Education, a teacher in
Uganda was a dignified person. Teachers
by then were kings because Government realized that their role was crucial in
the social and economic transformation of Uganda.
To day, Uganda
Government will have funds to facilitate UPDF operations in South Sudan as
Ugandan teachers go with out salaries, disguising everything under the payroll
problems, yet some teachers have continued to have their loan obligations
met! Uganda is a sad story.
Recently, a
relative of mine, and a teacher went to a hospital over a swollen leg. She was told to pay shs 80,000 for the
scan. Shortly after, the Doctor realized
that the injections to be administered required her to be given a bed. She was told to pay a deposit of shs 100,000
for the bed, as the Doctor was to inject her for 7 days. The charges for the bed are shs 10,000 per day;
shs 10,000 for the Doctor services per day and shs 7,500 for the attention of
the nurses per day. My relative was given the drug particulars and
dosage but it was not at the hospital.
The agent who went to Entebbe to buy the drug was told that it was
available at Wandegeya, ad so, that day the medicine was not got. On arrival at Wandegeya with shs 120,000, it
was found that the prescription required shs 420,000 as the day’s injection
costs shs 60,000 and these were to be administered for 7 days.
So, when the people
in Uganda government sit in the comfort of their offices, with all the benefits
that accrue to those offices, they should know the try of economy Uganda is,
and stop giving excuses of payroll defects for failure to pay the small salaries
given the cost of living.
Another side
affecting the teachers can be viewed from the registration of a new school. I
recently participated in this process.
The starting point is getting a Health Report from the Sub – county. In Makindye Ssabagabbo, this costs shs
150,000 but there is no receipt issued.
You have to get the school building plans in place. Around Zana the LC 1 Chairman wants shs
100,000 from the school before he gets to attend to the matter. You need an inspector from Wakiso. Whenever he comes to the school, you have to
look for shs 50,000 as his transport, and mind you, he has to get raw data and
come back with the report which in all costs at least shs 100,000. Once you are through with those and other
documentation worked on as required, you travel to Wakiso district
offices. You need a NEMA report. Here you still pay shs 50,000 for transport
of the NEMA Officer. You are given the
information of how much you have to pay before the forms are endorsed. The Licence fee is taken as shs 50,000; the
District health Inspector gets shs 50,000; the District Inspector of Schools
also shs 50,000 and the District Education Officer’s office shs 100,000. Unfortunately, you never get a receipt for
all these monies. And however incorruptible
you may be, I highly doubt that you can get the licence without paying the
monies as advised.
Lastly, commenting
about the shs 5bn the teachers were given by the President, I think the
teachers should not ignore this opportunity.
If Government has the organized framework to see teachers get the shs
5bn, I don’t see why some people misadvise the teachers to go and get this
money. There are procedures through
which Government business has to be undertaken. 2nd, such money has administrative costs, an 11% interest charge is
not so big as long as worthy investment is done. My opinion is that the teachers’ SACCO may
not have capacity to handle the 5bn, but teachers should go and access the
money in a Government approved infrastructure, and if they can establish that
non – teachers accessed the funds, then they can complain, but ignoring that
money is not good politicking.
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