Donation Amount. Min £2

Hopeful. President Museveni has consistently promoted the teaching of Science subjects in schools. PHOTO | FILE 

  • To boost the morale of scientists and reduce temptations, for instance of health workers moonlighting at private clinics and pharmacies next to public hospitals, he in December 2017 announced plans to increase salaries of science teachers on government payroll.

President Museveni’s immersion into promotion of sciences as a fulcrum of innovation and Uganda’s socio-economic transformation has endured.  

To boost the morale of scientists and reduce temptations, for instance of health workers moonlighting at private clinics and pharmacies next to public hospitals, he in December 2017 announced plans to increase salaries of science teachers on government payroll. 

“The salary for science teachers will be competitive. We don’t want to hear that science teachers in Kenya are getting a better pay than those in our country,” he noted on his social media handles in a posted that appeared to answer the brain drain question.

Multiple surveys including by Uganda Medical Association, the umbrella body of doctors in Uganda, in preceding years showed that their specialist members were relocating for work in South Africa, South Sudan and European countries in record numbers due to better remuneration in regional and international markets.

This was an unwelcome news to government and in particular President Museveni. In a 2019 letter to Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng and copied to Public Service minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa and others, he directed that salaries for scientists be moved to the “desired levels”.

Explaining why he was prioritising scientists, the President said “paying the medical workers, the government scientists and the academicians removes the temptation of double loyalty – to the public service and to the private interest of the employee”.

“We can then be able to completely ban the practice of government health workers running parallel clinics or drug shops. It was not reasonable to do that when the salaries were so low,” he argued. 

The proclamation triggered protests from teachers of humanities who laid down tools, but the President told them to return to classrooms and stop the industrial action disrupting government plans and disadvantaging students.

8 bottlenecks to science education

•  Disconnect in teaching of science subjects, with teachers spending more time on theory than practicals.

•  Inadequate investment by private schools in laboratories and supplies for sciences.

•  Fewer than required number of science teachers in both government and private schools.

•  Use of pamphlets by private schools to teach sciences instead of text books that provide depth in a subject.

•  Poor mastery of English language, which impairs candidates from understanding and following instructions during practicals.

•  Difficulty in writing correct chemical symbols and balanced equations.

•  Failure by some students to carry out dissection of specimens in biology.

•  Low ability to carry out scientific experiments, and interpret and draw correct conclusions. By Damali Mukhaye, Daily Monitor

About IEA Media Ltd

Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.

To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854.
If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.

We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.

Get in touch

Our Offices

London, UK
+44 7886 544135
editor (@) informereastafrica.com
Slough, UK
+44 7957 636854
info (@) informereastafrica.com

Latest News

Police officer killed in Mandera during a clash with Somalia forces

Police officer kille...

One police officer was killed and another injured following a clash with Somalia's National Intellig...

Transforming agrifood systems in East and Southern Africa: Shaping the 2025–2030 Agenda

Transforming agrifoo...

CGIAR, through its Regional Integrated Initiatives (RIIs), has been working on scaling affordable, c...

UN judge 'exploited and abused' Ugandan woman she kept as enslaved while in UK

UN judge 'explo...

Judge Lydia Mugambe (photo credit: UNITED NATIONS) Mugambe was appointed to the UN's judicial roste...

Briton killed by vehicle in Ruto’s motorcade on Ngong Road identified

Briton killed by veh...

Authorities have identified the British national killed in a fatal road accident near Adams Arcade,...

For Advertisement

Big Reach

Informer East Africa is one platform for all people. It is a platform where you find so many professionals under one umbrella serving the African communities together.

Very Flexible

We exist to inform you, hear from you and connect you with what is happening around you. We do this professionally and timely as we endeavour to capture all that you should never miss. Informer East Africa is simply news for right now and the future.

Quality News

We only bring to you news that is verified, checked and follows strict journalistic guidelines and standards. We believe in 1. Objective coverage, 2. Impartiality and 3. Fair play.

Banner & Video Ads

A banner & video advertisement from our sponsors will show up every once in a while. It keeps us and our writers coffee replenished.