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By Sande Evans Ndahura
Perhaps it is the bias against radical thinking — the kind of intellectual freedom that social sciences nurture — which pushed the President to turn against Arts teachers and the teaching of social sciences, rather than genuine love or passion for scientists and science. If not that, then he must have been ill-advised by individuals who resent social justice and fear change in a developing society.
If the President truly loved science naturally, he would have studied it himself or encouraged his own children to become professors in the field, since he had the means and opportunities to support such a pursuit. Every parent, regardless of background, would love to see their children become doctors, engineers, or scientists — but the prohibitive cost remains the biggest barrier.
This pretense of selectively promoting science while disregarding the arts is misleading and harmful to society. Indeed, science is essential for technological advancement in today’s world. However, the development of any nation depends equally on the quality of its leadership — and leadership is often shaped by social thinkers and the liberal reasoning that social sciences cultivate.
Paying arts teachers less than their science counterparts will not accelerate scientific progress
Promoting science should not come through discrimination but through inclusive participation and fair decision-making. Arts and social science teachers face the same life challenges as their counterparts in science — they pay the same bills, seek quality healthcare, aspire to own decent homes, dress well, drive cars, and provide education for their children.
Social scientists, too, desire better pay so that their children can afford the expensive education that leads to careers in medicine, engineering, and technology. Change, however, is gradual — it cannot be forced through discrimination or policy bias. Paying arts teachers less than their science counterparts will not accelerate scientific progress. Instead, it deepens inequality and keeps families trapped in a cycle of limited opportunity.
If the President still had patriotic thinkers among his advisers, they would have urged him to either increase the salaries of all teachers equally or subsidize the cost of science courses in universities to make them accessible to children from peasant backgrounds. Equal opportunity, not favoritism, is what drives sustainable national growth.
History offers valuable lessons. In the late 1770s, Napoleon Bonaparte sought to suppress liberal education in France, but he could not stop the tide of change when it came. Likewise, stifling the social sciences today will not prevent their inevitable relevance tomorrow.
It is time we stand with our arts teachers. Denying them fair remuneration is neither logical nor justifiable — it reflects bias and a deliberate attempt to suppress liberal thought.
Both social and natural sciences are indispensable to the growth of any society, much like vowels and consonants work together to give meaning to words. One cannot function meaningfully without the other.
The writer is a concerned citizen
Torch Media Africa
