Janet Museveni, the newly appointed minister of Education and Sports tasted the sour waters of her ministerial post yesterday at the Prime Minister’s Office during a meeting in which she had hoped to strike a balance between the government and the University non-teaching.
Janet Museveni who was escorted by Minister of state for higher education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kasaija and Minister for Primary Education,Rosemary Senninde was pushed to pleading when the non-teaching staff refused to give a heed after she explained that the shs56bn they [non-teaching staff] demand had not been budgeted for in this financial year but a provisional budget would be organised and non-teaching staff paid in two months time.
Jackson Batihamah, Chairman Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum (Puntsef) warned the government to act sooner if they want the Universities to open.
“The government should reconsider their position. The status quo of the industrial action remains. We want the consensus note implemented or else our tools remain down,” Betihamah assured the ministers.
“These are your children and you must take care of them. If they are not there, you will not have jobs,” Janet pleaded with the help of her team to no avail.
This disagreement will possibly lead to a further extension of the semester in Public Universities which would cause exams to be done during the festive season of December.
