Alebtong RDC Okiswa calls on teachers to end pay strike

Alebtong Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Geoffrey Okiswa has called on arts teachers across the nation to suspend their ongoing strike and return to the classrooms.

This appeal was made as the industrial action, which has paralysed learning in many government schools, entered its fourth week.

The strike, which has been ongoing since the start of the third term education calendar, is nationwide and organised by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU).

Teachers are demanding better pay, with union chairperson Zadock Tumuhimbise citing low salary payments as the primary grievance.

Speaking to reporters at his office on Monday, October 13, 2025, RDC Okiswa emphasised the critical need to protect the education sector for the betterment of the country’s children. He acknowledged the teachers’ right to fair pay and dignity but stressed the importance of educators remaining in class while negotiations with the government continue.

Commissioner Okiswa highlighted that the current term is especially crucial for candidate classes, who will soon be sitting for exams that significantly impact their future.

“I am calling upon all the teachers through their UNATU chairperson, Tumuhimbise Zadock, to call off the strikes so that normal learning can continue in all government-headed schools,” he stated.

Meanwhile, on Monday, UCE finals by UNEB started across the country.

The nationwide strike has seen arts teachers persistently claiming they are lowly paid by the government with failure to provide equal pay opportunities. The impact of the action has been uneven across the country; while learning has completely halted in many government primary schools in rural areas, teaching continues in some urban centres, raising questions about the strike’s uniformity

RDC urges teachers in Alebtong and across the nation, through the chairperson of UNATU, that they should build teachers’ capacities and capabilities on best financial management practices for socio-economic transformation, especially on savings, investments and consumption.

Salary is not the only motivator; rather, the teachers should be happy with the peace, infrastructure and PDM and other livelihood programs NRM has put in place for the wider communities, said the RDC.

RDC Okiswa suggested that the strike be “put on hold until” the end of the term, expressing hope that a solution could be found through ongoing discussions.

His appeal echoes recent sentiments from President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta, who, while addressing the people of Lango from his home in Baralegi, Otuke district, announced that striking teachers would be sacked.