In Uganda, the teacher in private schools because of the coronavirus pandemic ceased to receive salary. Lack of money forced them to go into business or other spheres. In the current situation, the scope of education in the country was threatened, writes The Guardian.
about 40 percent of primary schools and 60 percent of secondary schools in Uganda are non-governmental educational institutions managed by private individuals, religious and charitable organizations and enterprises, while most of paid schools are in areas where public educational institutions are overcrowded or located too far. Private schools are mainly funded by the training fee, which covers all expenses, including the salary of teachers. It on average reaches 350-880 thousand Ugandan shillings (7-18 thousand rubles).
With the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the parents stopped paying for training, and the leadership had to reduce the salary of teachers or to discharge it at all. Thus, according to the Center for Economic Policy Studies, 85 percent of private schools do not pay full salary to teachers due to the financial problems associated with coronavirus. In all Africa south of Sahara, half of teachers in private schools (15 percent of the total number of teachers) faced a salary fall on average by 50 percent.
At the same time, teachers in public schools continued to receive money, and the promises of the Uganda authorities to support commercial education workers remained unfulfilled. Therefore, to make money, teachers have forced to go to other areas – for example, agriculture or trade. “I have two teachers who went to the army. Some moved to their villages. This means that when we open, in some schools, including state, will not be teachers,” – warned the director of kindergarten and elementary school Green Galaxy Robert Kimny.
Former teacher George Vakirwine, who has worked for seven years in education, lived due to the help of parents, whose children he taught. Now he is for a small fee wearing water in the house next door. “It came to the point that the teachers began to begging parents to give them something to eat. Now they call us [teachers] beggars who go to them to ask for food,” the head of the Association of private teachers of Mukono Nicholas Bwire said.
Some teachers stated that after the resumption of work in schools, they would not give up a business in order to do not remain without livelihood in the future. Others decided to leave the education scope at all. Schools in Uganda will be closed until January, and up to 15 million children will not be able to return to their studies. The government demands from teachers to be hidden from coronavirus, but more than 80 percent of them have not yet received the first dose of vaccine.