A proposed new salary structure starting July 01, 2026 indicates salary increment for arts teachers, primary teachers and headteachers.
This means that arts teachers in secondary schools, primary school teachers, headteachers and deputy headteachers are two months away from salary increment they have had to wait for for long, sometime staging strikes to push their demands and drive their point home.
Reports indicate that government has approved a long-awaited salary enhancement for arts teachers across Uganda, bringing relief to thousands of educators who have gone years without a pay rise.
According to the approved pay structure, a headteacher at a government primary school will now earn Shs1.5 million per month, up from Shs980,000, while a deputy headteacher’s salary will increase from about Shs775,000 to Shs1.3 million.
At the lowest level, an education assistant will earn a starting salary of Shs700,000, up from Shs449,000, while senior education assistants will see their pay rise to about Shs727,000, from Shs602,000.
The new salary adjustments, which take effect on July 1, 2026, are expected to benefit a total of 156,407 teachers, particularly those teaching humanities subjects at both primary and secondary levels, as well as tutors in technical institutions.
These will include 132,278 beneficiaries at primary level, who include primary school teachers, headteachers and their deputies: 8,226 headteachers, 6,978 deputy headteachers, 11,293 senior education assistants, and 105,781 education assistants.
At post-primary level, 24,129 are secondary school teachers and tutors — 1,097 headteachers and principals, 1,057 deputy headteachers and deputy principals, 21,975 classroom teachers and tutors — will benefit.
At primary level, the figures include:
Secondary school salaries improved
Under the new structure, a secondary school headteacher with an arts degree will now earn up to Shs3.5 million per month, up from about Shs2.3 million. Similar adjustments apply to principals of certificate-awarding institutions with arts backgrounds.
Despite the increment, arts teachers will still earn less than their science counterparts, whose salaries were enhanced earlier, maintaining a disparity between the two categories.
Relief after delay
The salary enhancement comes after more than a decade without a pay rise for many primary school teachers. During this period, many educators struggled financially, with some resorting to loans to make ends meet, while others opted for early retirement.
SALARY INCREMENT SUMMARY FOR PRIMARY AND ARTS SECONDARY TEACHERS
Secondary School
Headteachers and Principals: From Shs 2.2m – 2.3m to Shs 3.5m
Deputy headteachers and deputy principals: From Shs 1.6m – 1.7m to Shs 2.1m
Education Officers: From Shs 960,000 – 1.1m to Shs 1.2m
Assistant Education Officers: From Shs 700,000 to Shs 1.3m
Primary School
Headteachers: From Shs 777,000 – 980,000 to Shs 1.5m
Deputy Headteachers: From Shs 662,000 – 773,000 to Shs 1.3m
Senior Education Assistants: From Shs 602,000 – 613,000 to Shs 727,000
Education Assistants: From Shs 449,000 – 605,000 to Shs 700,000
Also getting salary increment starting July 2026 are RDCs, deputies and assistants, as detailed Here.
You can see the list of most highly paid Museveni advisors and State House staff Here, There and Over There.
The full salary structure for the current financial year showing how much each government employee category earns every month is HERE.
