Meals lure learners in Moroto to school despite teachers’ strike

Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Several learners in Moroto district have continued reporting to school despite the nationwide teachers’ strike that has been running for six days now. Our reporter visited several schools on Tuesday and found the learners playing around the compound.

The majority of the learners only report to school to get breakfast and lunch before retreating to their homes. Only a few learners could be seen revising books in the empty classrooms. Peter Loduk, a primary seven-candidate at Moroto KDA primary school, said that although teachers are striking, the industrial action has not blocked them from reading their books.

Loduk noted many pupils only come to school to wait for meals and disappear back home. He explains that only a few learners especially in candidate classes, remain to revise their books. He said it’s unfair for teachers to abandon pupils at school and wants the government to respond to their plea because teachers cannot perform well under stress.

Esther Anyakun, another learner said that teachers are just roaming up and down and they are not bothered about teaching. Anyakun says if the strike continues, they will fail since revising books alone may not help them.

A teacher who preferred anonymity, said that they will continue with the strike until they get an order from their bosses to halt it on the condition that the government increases their salary. He said they have instructed children to stay home but because of the school feeding program, many of them come purposely for meals and they return home.

‘’We don’t have any problem with children, let them come play, eat and they go back home if they have time for revising they can do so, for us we are still waiting for our fate,’’ he said. The head teacher at Moroto KDA primary school locked his office and instructed the pupils to disperse when our reporter visited the school.

At Naitakwea primary school in Moroto district, the head teacher also declined to talk to our reporter but instead referred us to the UNATU chairperson. However, Robert Oriokot, the UNATU chairperson in Moroto said that the sit-down strike will continue until the government responds to their plea. Oriokot warned that teachers shall only resume work after the government fulfills their request for salary enhancement.

He encouraged teachers to continue staying home and never to be intimidated as they exercise their constitutional right to express their grievances. Oriokot noted that some of their members are being intimidated, most especially teachers from Army primary school who claimed they were threatened by the UPDF leadership.

Benard Opila, one of the parents who spoke to URN said it has been hard for them to convince some of the learners to go back to school after the COVID-19 lockdown. Opila noted that many children are trapped in mining sites and kraals looking after cattle while those who had returned to school have also been affected by the strike.

He said the school has been a safe place for their children, especially girl children, but with the ongoing teacher’s strike, he prays that learners don’t get discouraged.

On Saturday, UNATU officials met with the government officials led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni over the matter. However, the meeting didn’t yield results as the government said it was not fully aware of the consequences of increasing salaries for one category of teachers to a tune of over 300% against nothing for all other teachers.

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URN