As Uganda’s education sector continues to grapple with unresolved inequalities, a passionate and emotional letter from an Arts teacher has gone viral, drawing attention to what many see as long-standing discrimination against non-Science educators.
In the open letter addressed to President Yoweri Museveni and the Minister of Education, secondary school teacher Faridah Karim expresses heartbreak and disappointment over the government’s decision to selectively increase salaries for Science teachers while leaving their Arts counterparts behind.
“Why are our subjects still in the curriculum if you think they’re useless?” she asks. “Why do you hate Literature so much that you constantly single it out in your speeches?”
Her comments echo widespread discontent within the Arts teaching community, who feel belittled, underpaid, and publicly ridiculed by top leadership.
Karim shares a painful incident that reveals how deeply the government’s narrative has affected the perception of the teaching profession itself.
During a class discussion about students’ future ambitions, out of 160 Senior One students, only one said she wanted to become a teacher. Her answer was met with laughter.
“When I asked why they laughed, the students told me, ‘Because teachers are poor,’” Karim recounts. “It hit me hard. I checked my wallet—I had only 13,000 shillings left.”
Despite working under the same roof, attending the same training institutions, and teaching similar numbers of students, Uganda’s teachers are paid based on their specialization:
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Primary teachers: UGX 420,000 – 480,000
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Arts teachers (Diploma): UGX 600,000
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Arts teachers (Bachelor’s): UGX 750,000
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Science teachers (Diploma): UGX 1.6 million
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Science teachers (Bachelor’s): UGX 2.8 million
“We all go to the same markets. We teach under the same pressure. Why this injustice?” she asks.
Karim criticizes the government for “mocking Arts teachers in national addresses” and accuses leaders of abandoning negotiation promises made during a previous teachers’ strike.
“We were told talks would be held with our union leaders if we called off the strike. We waited. Nothing happened.”
She also points out that the government has been quick to disburse UGX 100 million to each Member of Parliament, yet continues to ignore pleas for salary harmonization among teachers.
Karim warns of an impending nationwide strike starting June 6, 2025, stating that Arts teachers will not return to class without meaningful change.
“We are going to embrace the industrial action religiously. No intimidation, no promises, no words will send us back to class. After all, our subjects are ‘useless’—or so we’re told.”
“But let it be known: We also matter.”
