However, teachers employed by the Board of Management as well as other non-teaching staff face uncertainty as the government is non-committal on releasing funding to schools.
Schools were closed in March following the first case of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country and close to 320,000 teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) currently retreated home.
With government officially suspending learning in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools until January next year, teachers will by end of the year have earned nine months worth of salary without work.
A number of them have expressed fears that their salaries could interest the government. However, TSC has now confirmed that they should not worry.
“As of now, there is no plan to stop paying teachers. This is because it is not the teacher who has refused to go to class. Schools are closed due to the Covid-19. If the teacher is called upon to resume teaching, they will do so the following day, so long as conditions are right,” said Beatrice Wababu, TSC Director of Communications.
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She said the commission cannot penalise the teachers for a problem they did not create until it is decided otherwise.According to TSC records, teachers in public schools are paid Sh20.6 billion in salaries per month, bringing the annual cost in salaries to Sh247.2 billion.
The teachers also enjoy a medical cover by AON Minet. The cover cost TSC Sh9 billion last year. It will cost the commission Sh12 billion this year and Sh14 billion next year.
Under the scheme, teachers have their inpatient medical benefits raised to Sh750,000 for those under the lowest job group G (or B5) to a maximum of Sh2.5 million for highest paid staff under job group R (or D4).
Overall, some 1,006,673 beneficiaries are registered under the scheme. Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Kahi Indimuli says teachers are ready to go back to class any time and should not be victimised.”If the situation changes now, teachers will go back to class. So we should not be punished for a problem we did not create,” Mr Indimuli said.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the teachers are protected by the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) they have with their employer and this should be respected.
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“Our focus now should be on looking at ways on how to improve infrastructure in our schools and other measures to fight Covid-19 in readiness to reopen. UNESCO and WHO, in their advisories for reopening schools across the world, have called for the protection of teachers’ salaries,” Sossion said.
While teachers were getting their assurances on their salaries, parents who had paid a whole year’s fees were a worried lot yesterday. But CS George Magoha gave them relief after he instructed school principals and boards of management (BOMs) to agree on what should be done to fees paid.
“Let BoMs agree with parents who had paid fees for second and third term and see whether the money can be refunded or carried forward to next year,” Prof Magoha said in a meeting in Voi yesterday.
According to a circular from the Ministry of Education, signed by Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang, the government spends Sh13 billion on Free Primary Education (FPE) and about Sh60 billion on Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programme annually, but parents in public boarding secondary schools spend about Sh100 billion in fees on their children.
“The cumulative sum the government and parents spend on secondary School with parents paying between Sh40,000 and Sh53,000 in boarding schools was Sh160 billion, which posed serious control and risk challenges in schools,” Kipsang said, adding that the ministry closely works with its auditors to ensure the money is well spent.
“Disbursement of capitation to schools is done in the ratio of 50:30:20 ratio. The first disbursement is normally done in November to cover for the first term, the following year. Subsequent ones will are done in April and August. The government will use enrollment data in NEMIS to disburse the funds,” Kipsang said.
Indimuli and Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA) chairman Nicholas Gatemia confirmed the first tranche of capitation, covering 50 per cent of the total government funds, was sent to schools last term.
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“The first disbursement was done. But not the second and third. We request the government to release the second because schools are not just about children. Schools are also employers, they employ BoM teachers and other non-teaching staff,” Indimuli said.
He said many schools have not paid BoM teachers since March.“The government can hold the tuition fees but give the rest of the money in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive that we cushion our employees during this time.
As a BOM teacher, we are really suffering. Let the government do something.
So what’s the problem with teachers being paid despite them not going to school. Did teachers bring Corona? Did they advice the government to take such measures? Do you want dead teachers in classroom so as to be happy? Teacher’s salary MUST BE paid to strengthen our economy, since Mama mboga, landlords, wanjiku and the likes totally depend on the teacher’s salary. STOP ANNOUNCING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT TEACHER’S SALARY AS IF IT’S THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE IN YOUR NEWSROOMS. WHY ARE YOU JEALOUS WITH TEACHERS YET YOU’VE PROOVED THAT WITHOUT THEM, THE SOCIETY IS ROTTEN, PREGNANCIES ALL OVER, THUGGERY, IDLENESS, LAZYNESS THE LIST IS LONG. OTHER CIVIL WORKERS ARE ALSO AT HOME, ITS ONLY TEACHERS YOU CAN TALK ABOUT. PLEASE GIVE US A BREAK.
Teachers in private schools and those under board do a noble cause in adhering to the government rules like paying taxes from their peanut salary,tsc regulations , ministry of education rules.but covid-19 has subjected them to uncertainty,no salary since April.let the government be considerate enough to help them.the government helped artist why not private school teachers.The. government need them only when it wants them to push it’s agenda but for now it has neglected them.
Indeed we in the private schools face a stifle and if the gov did something for us, we would appreciate.
Indeed we in the private schoos are facing a stifle and if the government did something humane to cushion us we would highly appreciate, May Our God come our rescue us.
I want to agree with what my colleagues in private schools have said. Indeed they are undergoing tuff economic times. Let the Government assist them before it’s too late. God bless our students and teachers at home
I have a family of three,my wife and I are p1 teachers.we are not employed by tsc.since schools were close we have never earned even a cent.
When will the government talk about us , unemployed teacher from private schools and institution
PLEASE please please it is only in this country where even teachers have been added 20 shillings the news will always be out ,this person posting them they were taught by teachers, for me to be a teacher I was taught by teachers please please let us also respect teachers the way we respect political leaders.
After opening the economy,the only people who have been left out is the private school teachers. There should be some interventions to help them out.
Teachers Want money, with or without corona
I’m a p1 teacher and married to a p1 teacher too.we graduated 2012 but we have never secured a government job.Life is really hard having 3months baby.Goverment has to do something to help private teachers
The government is proving a big let down to the teachers under BOARD and the support staff. Be mindful for a second and brainstorm about ways of assisting the teachers get food for their families on the table. The suffering is nolonger a rumour
It is so sad that BOM teachers have gone for months without pay because it seems no one recognized them as teachers hence they were left to nurse their own plight. it is high time the government considers this based on the president’s directive of cushioning employees. These are qualified teachers that have been helping in moulding our learners.