KAGADI
By Andrew Musinguzi
As teachers worldwide commemorated International Teacher’s day yesterday, In Kagadi District it was the day to plead for incarcerated teachers on remand in Mambugu government prison over accumulated multiple loans.
The Chairperson Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) Kagadi Branch Solomon Musinguzi disclosed that a total of sixteen primary and private secondary school teachers were remanded to Mambugu government prison recently due to failure to pay back the accumulated loans borrowed from money lenders and other finance institutions. He attributed the suffering of teachers to under payment of teachers with unfavourable and harsh working conditions.
Musinguzi further disclosed that a total of 45 government primary school teachers have abandoned their profession, others asked for early retirement while others are engaged in productive business activities . He cited challenges of teachers in Kagadi as failure by the district to accord them decent burial upon the death of their colleagues, lack of staff accommodation, Political interferences, underpayment and lack funds by UNATU Branch.
In response to their grievances, the MP Buyaga East constituency Eric Musaana Acaali, while speaking as a chief guest expressed sympathy to teachers suffering saying every profession is through a teacher in class and blamed district officials for shunning the function. He pledged to forward their complaints on the floor of parliament but asked them to have side incomes to supplement their salaries.
Different teachers voiced their grievances asking government to look into their challenges and blamed the district officials such as CAO-Pauline Epodoi, Inspector of schools, Julius Alinda, LC5-Cman Yosia Ndibwami, RDC-Lilian Ruteraho among others for shunning their function and failing to support fallen teachers.
This year’s Teachers Theme was: “Valuing Teacher’s Voices Towards a new social contract for Education’’.
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