Janet Museveni Warns Private School Bosses against Hiring Teachers on Government Payroll

First lady, and minister of education and sports Janet Museveni has directed private schools to stop hiring teachers on government payroll, saying this affects service delivery in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools and government-aided institutions.

Minister Janet Museveni’s warning is a follow-up on a top education ministry official’s directive to all school heads to punish teachers who have made it a habit not to come to their duty stations or spend time moonlighting.

On October 31, Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda wrote to all head teachers of primary and secondary schools addressing the issue of absenteeism and abscondment from duty.

Dr Turyagyenda noted that some teachers had been absent from their jobs for many months, with some concentrating on their own private schools or offers from the private schools that offer them more money in salaries.

The moonlighting or part timing that the teachers are involved in as well as the absenteeism, PS Turyagyenda noted, was happening as head teachers and others supposed to supervise the teachers are looking on – and consequently impeding service delivery.

In her letter to all head teachers, the Permanent Secretary reminded the teachers that as part of their contractual obligations, they are expected at their workplaces from Monday to Friday from 8AM through 5PM.

She also directed supervisors to take disciplinary action against absenting teachers or those moonlighting at the expense of the government payroll jobs they willingly signed up for.

Speaking at the inaugural national private education policy dialogue – an event attended by proprietors and owners of private schools and institutions who came to deliberate on key issues affecting the private education sector – Janet Museveni noted that the Covid19 pandemic had taught the ministry that private schools were struggling with financial challenges dues to poor management and mishandling of loans from banks.

She then instructed private schools, which her ministry supervises, to refrain from luring government payroll teachers to their schools.

“Those teachers who are in government schools, you should not employ them in the private schools also because they do a bad job both in government schools and in private schools,” said Janet Museveni at the event held at Greenhill Academy, Kibuli.

It should be remembered that government recently increased salaries of secondary school science head teachers and their deputies, as the education ministry struggled with a looming crisis that saw several science teachers opt for early retirement to get big retirement packages following the increment of their salaries, as reported Here, There and Over There.

Please Follow our Whatsapp Channel for More Stories HERE

(For comments on this report, story tips or sponsored content, send us a Whatsapp message on +256 705 690 819 or E-mail us on pearltimesug@gmail.com).