UNATU Members Storm School, Demand Its Closure

http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=56655

Members of the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) in Fort Portal have stormed Buhinga Primary School demanding for its closure after defying the on-going industrial action.

Buhinga is the largest Universal Primary Education (UPE) School in Fort Portal Municipality. It has an enrolment of 1,773 pupils. Despite the call by the teachers union for all teachers to halt their activities until government grants them a 20% salary increment, the school had opened and classes going on normally.

When Uganda Radio Network reporter visited the school this morning, there were 15 teachers and the population of pupils was 1,770.

During the same time, UNATU members led by Emmanuel Friday, the Chairperson UNATU Fort Portal branch went to the school and demanded that the teachers stop teaching and the pupils be sent back home.

The members held a twenty minutes meeting with one of the school teachers, John Byamukama, persuading him to close the school, since the industrial action by teachers had not been called off. However their discussions yielded no fruit as Byamukama rejected their demand.

Friday accused Byamukama for breaching the agreement of laying down their tools until government increases teachers’ salary.  Friday says that Byamukama, who is a member of UNATU, attended the UNATU meeting that agreed to take industrial action, but he is disappointed that he has turned against his fellow teachers.

Friday says Byamukama will face disciplinary action.

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Byamukama refused to comment when asked by Uganda Radio Network why the school was defying orders by the teachers union. However, a teacher at the school who preferred anonymity told Uganda Radio Network that the decision to reopen the school was made during a weekend meeting with parents.