Teachers laugh off M7’s UGX2bn pledge

President Yoweri Museveni delivered his advice during an IGAD summit that was held through video conferencePresident Yoweri Museveni has promised to contribute some UGX2bn to private schools teacher’s SACCOs.

The president made the promise while addressing the nation yesterday on the situation of fighting COVID-19 Pandemic.

Museveni also promised to talk to banks to lend teachers money at more favorable interest rates. Museveni also asked NSSF to consider freezing teachers contributions for 3 months.

But some of the teachers who have spoken to The Sunrise have laughed off the president’s offer as a joke because it’s too little and tantamounts to denigrating teachers.

Nicholas Ssewajje, a member of Ticha Uganda, a newly registered Private Schools Teachers Association said the offer is meant to give false hope to private teachers who had started to agitate for greater consideration by the government because of the plight they ensure.

“The president says that there are about 350,000 private school teachers in the country. But if all of them were to benefit from this money, each would get a mere 5000/=.”

Isa Ssenkumba, a teacher and private school founder in one of the secondary schools in Lubaga division in Kampala, dismissed the president’s promise as a mere political statement.

He said: “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I want to assure you that it’s a mere political statement.

We’ve been following the president especially during this period of campaigning and found that many promises he makes are merely to appease voters but are never effected nor are they followed by serious plans.”

He adds: “The president claims that he would have loved to pay each teacher at least UGX500,000 but added that this would cost tax payers UGX170bn, which he says is too much.”

Another teacher who preferred anonimyty said the president has a very low regard for teachers because he often dolls out much more money to politicians when he wants something done.

“But I can tell you this is much better than nothing because now teachers are washing people’s clothes on villages.

I think this UGX500,000 would give teachers some relief, which would also help boost the economy because they spend the money in the economy,” added Ssenkumba.

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