“Beginning FY 2026/27, an additional Shs568.65 billion has been allocated to enhance salaries for primary school teachers and arts teachers in secondary schools and BTVET institutions,” Musaasizi said during the budget presentation.
The government has moved to address long-standing salary disparities in the education sector by approving a salary enhancement package for arts and primary school teachers as part of an increased education budget for the 2026/27 financial year.
Finance Minister Henry Musaasizi announced that the education, skills development and sports sector will receive Shs6.66 trillion in the next financial year, up from Shs5.04 trillion in the current budget. The allocation represents 7.82 percent of the projected national budget of Shs84.4 trillion, compared to 6.97 percent in the previous financial year.
The increased funding is expected to support key reforms in the sector, including expanding access to quality education, improving teacher welfare, strengthening vocational training and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
A major highlight of the budget is the allocation of an additional Shs568.65 billion to enhance salaries for primary school teachers and arts teachers in secondary schools and Business, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) institutions.
“Beginning FY 2026/27, an additional Shs568.65 billion has been allocated to enhance salaries for primary school teachers and arts teachers in secondary schools and BTVET institutions,” Musaasizi said during the budget presentation.
The salary enhancement is expected to benefit more than 155,000 teachers and marks the first phase of a broader government programme estimated to cost about Shs2.5 trillion.
Under the new arrangement, the minimum monthly salary for primary classroom teachers will increase by 25 percent from Shs499,684 to Shs624,605. Secondary school arts teachers holding university degrees will see their salaries rise from Shs960,288 to Shs1.2 million, while diploma holders will earn Shs931,250, up from Shs745,000.
The move is expected to ease tensions that have persisted since the government significantly increased salaries for science teachers in the 2022/23 financial year, leaving arts teachers demanding similar treatment.
For years, arts teachers have argued that the salary gap created inequality within schools and negatively affected staff morale. Their calls for salary harmonisation have been championed by the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) and other stakeholders in the education sector.
UNATU National Chairperson Zadock Tumuhimbise welcomed the government’s decision, describing it as a positive step toward addressing longstanding concerns among teachers. However, he urged government to remain committed to the salary enhancement programme and ensure that future budgets continue to bridge existing gaps.
Tumuhimbise also called for consideration of non-teaching staff, noting that they play an important role in the functioning of schools but were excluded from the latest salary review.
Beyond salaries, the government says the additional education funding will be directed towards expanding Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE), improving teacher training, supporting curriculum reforms and increasing investment in public universities and research institutions.
The Ministry of Education also plans to recruit 3,000 additional teachers, including 1,842 science teachers and 1,158 arts teachers, to address staffing shortages, particularly in newly established seed secondary schools.
Part of the education budget will also fund the completion of sports infrastructure projects ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
Despite the increased allocation, education experts say Uganda still spends less on education than regional and international benchmarks recommend. The country currently allocates about 2.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to education, below the East African average of 4.2 percent and UNESCO’s recommended range of between 4 and 6 percent.
Recent studies continue to highlight challenges facing the sector, including overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, inadequate learning materials and declining learning outcomes.
However, stakeholders say the latest salary enhancement package signals a renewed government commitment to improving teacher welfare and strengthening the country’s education system through a more equitable approach to remuneration.