TEACHERS’ STRIKE DAY 4: PARENTS START WITHDRAWING CHILDREN FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Kampala- Parents with children in public schools are considering taking them to private schools as the teachers’ strike entered day three yesterday.

A mini-survey conducted by Daily Monitor showed that some schools, which had shied away from the strike on Monday, joined other teachers demanding government to implement its 2011 salary increment promise while business went on normally in private institutions.

The Kabale District education officer, Mr Kenneth Sabiiti, yesterday said some parents had to take their children to private schools after realising that their students were not being attended to while other schools taught Primary Seven candidates only.

“There are very few schools operating normally today (yesterday). In some schools, teachers are there but there is no learning. Some parents are happy because their children are helping in house chores while others have opted to take the children to private schools,” Mr Sabiiti said. 

Mr Gabriel Emojong, one of the affected parents in Tororo District had to reconsider his child’s school on Monday when the strike started.

“My daughter told me on Monday that the school asked them not to go back until an announcement was made to resume studies. This is second term. You can’t sit back and watch as private schools have normal classes,” Mr Emojong said.

But the Uganda National Teachers’ Union chairperson, Ms Margaret Rwabushaija, vowed to fight on if government does not honour their demands. Ms Rwabushaija said district chairpersons will meet with the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda today to receive Cabinet position.

“Until the negotiations are done, I urge all teachers not to go back to work unless they get a communication from their leaders in their respective districts,” she told parents at Kigungu Primary School in Entebbe yesterday.

In Masaka District, the teachers have appealed to foundation bodies such as churches to join their struggle in demanding for a better pay. 
At Sironko Primary School, the teachers had a blessing from their head teacher, Mr Milton Nabukisa.

“We are still striking and it will go on until government fulfils its pledge,” Mr Nabukisa said.
But Mr James Magombe, a Primary Four pupil at Namakwekwe Primary School in Bulambuli District, wondered what was wrong with his teachers. “We are bored of coming and leaving without anyone attending to us. I don’t know what is wrong with our teachers.”

Parents at Bubulo Mixed PS in Manafwa District accused teachers of abandoning teaching to boda boda business, saying there was no justification for their demand for salary increment.

However, the strike had less impact on secondary schools. For instance, Mr Walter Komakech, a teacher at Gulu Senior Secondary School, said: “Our students in the region are always behind in covering syllabi, this means the time we may be striking will affect them and at the end, the cycle of poor performance will keep going on.”

Although there is a low turn up of pupils at Holy Rosary Primary School, Mr Alfred Okot, the deputy head teacher, said all their teachers reported for work.

“We are looking at performances at our school. The central region has a lot of private schools as compared to our region. Pupils in Primary Seven are only left with four months to sit for their final examination. This is why it is wrong to strike,” Mr Okot said.

CREDIT: DAILY MONITOR