Teachers are among professionals who have been badly affected by the lockdown after the government closed all schools in March over the Coronavirus pandemic.
The negative effects of the lockdown on the finances of professionals provoked some of them to take on numerous informal jobs.
These include pottery, washing cars, making coffins, baking doughnuts, selling sugarcane, bricklaying among others.
Many of the teachers who had no alternative jobs in towns were compelled to go back to their home districts (villages).
Most could not afford the expensive cost of living in towns because they were not earning anything.
“I am now in my home village of Pallisa District. I am preparing my garden to plant rice,” said Okodoi Richard, a teacher in Progressive SS in Kampala.
“Recently, I rang my boss asking for my salary of March but he told me I should be patient until the school reopens. I just wanted money to buy rice seeds,” he said.
Teachers say they have exhausted their savings. They need help to facilitate their families in terms of feeding, rent, other basic necessities.
Some are too broke to the extent that they have resorted to selling off their properties to make ends meet.
“We have been home together with my wife and children since the school closed. I went to the village, sold some goats and now the money is over.
I don’t know what the next move is as schools continue to be closed,” said Byaruhanga.
Ms Brenda Nabunya, a teacher who was working at a school in Bugolobi said that since the lockdown was extended, she is no longer certain of how they survive for the next day. Their food and rent depend on God's mercy.
‘‘I pray that God provides to me and my family. Many of my colleagues shifted to the village since the school is not paying salaries,” Brenda said.
At Kazo Secondary School, a government institution, only 16 teachers out of 48 teaching staff are on the government payroll.
The 32 depend on money paid by parents as PTA. They are paid Shs330, 000 per month. The school has 650 students.
Teachers in private schools claim that it is difficult to collect 80 per cent of all school fees in a given term.
Unfortunately, the government cannot allow spending part of poll tax grant on paying private teachers’ wages. As a result, the economic situation of these teachers is very worsening.
On June 2, The Federation of Non-State Education Institutions (FENEI) wrote to the Ministry of Education and Sports Permanent Secretary indicating their inability to pay teachers.
In their proposal, they asked the Education Ministry to allocate money to private teachers’ savings and credit cooperative organizations.
They also requested the government to allow private teachers to access 20 per cent of their NSSF savings.
The Ministry of Education in May wrote to proprietors of private education institutions instructing them to pay their teachers.
However, the representative of the directors said that directors don't have money to pay teachers since the students had not yet paid even 60% of the school fees by March.
“We are in touch with our teachers although we don’t have money now. We have always encouraged our teachers to own personal businesses as side income but many investments are equally affected.” Tumwebarize explained.
In response to FENEI, The State Minister for Education (Primary), Ms Rosemary Nansubuga Sseninde, said private teachers should be patient because many other categories of workers have also been affected.
“You realize it’s not only private school teachers. There are those employed in tourism, there are those in religious institutions.
Some workers’ salaries have been cut and others are no longer being paid at all, so teachers should look for alternative ways to earn.’’ Ms Sseninde said.
Some crafty Boda Boda riders tried to make turn the situation comical as they took a swipe at the desperate teachers.
Boda riders said they were offering teachers at least Shs 300 to capture details of each passenger. They promised to raise the payment to Shs 500 after a few two months once these teachers prove efficient.
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