The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) will demand for compensation for primary school teachers who have been assisting to teach in junior secondary schools (JSS) since the recently recruited teachers are inadequate.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu yesterday said that thousands of their members are qualified to teach in JSS and have already been allocated lessons, and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should compensate them.
“We can’t look as learners suffer. TSC is trying but we must help them. Those with the necessary qualifications are teaching in JSS, but as a common labour practise, there should be additional pay for additional labour,” he said.
In February, TSC hired and deployed 10,000 teachers and 20,000 interns to JSS, but with more than 23,000 public schools, most institutions received one teacher or two.
Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (Kepsha) chairperson Johnson Nzioka said that learning is going on in JSS despite the staffing challenges.
“We’ve engaged the qualified teachers and most of the books have now been delivered. However, the capitation funds we were promised haven’t been disbursed.
“For primary school learners, we received 20 per cent instead of the 50 per cent allocation for first term. We don’t have money to buy instructional materials and for the general purpose of running schools,” he said.
Mr Oyuu revealed that Knut has formed a sub-committee within its steering committee to deal with JSS matters and that on Thursday, they will meet with Kepsha officials to discuss the “real situation on the ground”.
The chair of the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers Peter Sitienei requested TSC to prioritise deployment of specialised JSS teachers for special needs education (SNE).
He added: “We’ve not received the grant for SNE yet the cost of living has gone up. Some school heads have called me asking for early closure of schools. Children with special needs are vulnerable and should be considered as first priority when disbursing funds to schools.”
Most SNE schools are boarding while learners with less severe disabilities are integrated in the regular schools. On top of the Sh1,420 annual capitation primary school learners receive, those in SNE get an extra Sh9,000.
The TSC has advertised for qualified teachers to apply for deployment to JSS to shore up the numbers and the deadline for application is today. However, Mr Oyuu faulted the criteria set by the commission saying that it will leave out many deserving cases.
To qualify, a teacher must have scored a mean grade of C+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education or its equivalent and at least C+ in their two teaching subjects.
“The criteria shouldn’t be based on secondary school scores but the latest qualification that a teacher holds. It should also factor in the teaching experience of a teacher. There are teachers who scored C-plain in KCSE but went ahead to perform highly in undergraduate studies. Their C plain shouldn’t be used to condemn them,” Mr Oyuu said.
KNUT bado iko na any power or they are just talking to be heard in the public?
Last year when delocalisation was abolished by Parliament,KNUT sent a circular for delocalised teachers who wanted to be rerouted back to their homes and after tsc has failed to transfer most of those teachers,KNUT just returned to their holes of hiding !!!
I wish TSC to open up ways one can leave KNUT at will and I will do so with immediate effect……. I am bored of their dramas !!
Bed primary option.
Specialized in Mathematics.
We did most of the units with secondary school teachers.
Let TSC not condemn our hard earned Degrees.
Theris nothing knut wl offer u
Knut should stop the verbal acrobatics, fold and go home. I would take oyuu seriously if he were sossion…
Tsc ,kindly consider bachelors in education primary option.We are equal to the task as those who did secondary option.All the content we learnt was of secondary.Please let our hard earned grades not go in vain.It is really demoralizing and left wondering where our fate lies.Please consider this.
There’s p1 teachers with cplain who advanced to degrees but lacking diplomas ..let TSC redeploy them to jss because these were the minimum requirements during their time…why do you deny us this chances and yet we are already teaching jss??
The highest qualification performance of a teacher should be the basis to JSS. Plus the experience of the teacher too.
Or still, the will power of the teacher.
If those with B.ed primary option are trained to train teachers, do you think teaching those subjects in JSS will defeat them? We are trained in most of the subjects. TSC should not condemn us, thy should recognize our degrees.
Bed in ECE and masters in education specialised in religious studies and social sciences
I happen to be a P1 teacher with a diploma in fashion and design/ clothing technology . I do design clothes. What will make me not to teach in jss yet clothing technology is one of their subjects
Infact, most teachers with bed primary option have been training CBC Since 2016. Some of them have been trainers of trainees. Am really wondering how TSC became blind and forgot resources teachers whose degree matches with what is offered in jss schools. Something need to be do.
I request our employer to consider BED Primary option because the content learned at the University fits exactly what is in JSS.
What about the CBC champions?! They should be considered for JSS
They have been training teachers since it’s inception hence understand the system well well.
Surely tsc should also consider those with bed primary option . it’s so demoralizing to see them being kind of harassed before fellow colleagues after being called upon for verification having met the kcse c+ ,done all the units even with those in secondary then rejected by the same employer
Tsc should consider those teachers with degree in primary option and those with c plain having done degrees in secondary option.
Surely,TSC stop embarrassing teachers who did Bed primary option.we are capable of handling most of the subjects in JSS.
TSC should consider the teachers who did primary option.some of them did pre- university to bridge which was a requirement at that time.It is very demoralising as some of the promoted teachers have worked for less than an year.
Exactly 💯. BED Primary Option teacher all what it takes in both primary and secondary. Others as said earlier have been training teachers on CBC Curriculum. Others also went a head and did TPD Introductory Module and have recommendation letters and others introductory module completion certificates. After all these struggles to get updated with 21st Century knowledge and Skills to meet the needs of the 21st Century learner’s, see what’s happening surely. It’s a pity.
It is only in the teaching profession that higher qualifications is not considered,why go back to secondary school qualifications yet this teacher advanced his/her studies and did well in the overall and the two teaching subjects? This is humilation.
KNUT should be keen to support all P1 teachers with any educational diploma or degree to teach in the Junior Secondary grades. All these should both act as a carrier progression or upgrading faculties in the educational sector. Why compensating them? They should be upgraded to teach the Junior Secondary School level.