Teachers and their employer will this week hold a crucial meeting that will likely determine the fate of the planned strike scheduled for September 1. The Teachers Service Commission has invited the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) for talks on Thursday. On Friday, TSC will meet the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education (Kuppet) officials ahead of re-opening of schools for third term next Monday. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was moved forward after the day was declared a public holiday by the government.
DELOCALISATION
Whereas Knut is pushing for a strike, Kuppet is backing talks, saying issues being raised can still be handled through negotiations. Last week, teachers scored a major victory when President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that the delocalisation policy be reviewed to ensure it does not break up families. President Kenyatta said he had received concerns that some families had been affected by transfer of school administrators to other counties. Later, TSC also directed a review of policy on performance appraisal.
PROMOTION
Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion welcomed the President’s intervention. “It is the first time the President is directly intervening on union dispute issues with the teachers’ employer. It projects the President as a statesman, and this is the way to go,” Mr Sossion told Nation.
However, he said the union would not call off the strike until an amicable solution is found. The agenda of the TSC’s meeting with the teachers’ unions include promotion of teachers upon attainment of higher academic qualifications, and implementation. TSC has maintained that promotion of teachers will be based on work done and not academic qualifications, while Knut wants tutors to be promoted for going back to class.
RETIREMENT
“We have teachers with diplomas, degrees, masters and doctorate degrees. Job evaluation report conducted by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission recommended that you are paid according to the job you are doing,” insisted TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia.
SCHOOL HEADS
The commission has also agreed to convene a meeting with school heads association to address the issues raised with a view to arriving at an amicable solution in line with the President’s directive.
Mr Sossion said a majority of the affected teachers, especially the elderly, are opting for early retirement in what will further aggravate shortage of teachers in public schools, which is at its lowest.
The nominated MP said performance contracting and teacher performance appraisal and development had a negative bearing on performance in schools, with teachers spending a lot of time filling unnecessary load of forms instead of concentrating on imparting knowledge on students.
EXAMINATION
Mr Sossion said due to lack of computers, electricity, unreliable or total lack of internet connectivity in schools, teachers are forced to travel long distances to download the forms online at the expense of teaching.
Meanwhile, teachers who will be involved in the management of national examinations this year have been asked to be vigilant and uphold the ethical and integrity standards governing the profession.
Ms Macharia also asked the examiners to ensure that any form of examination irregularity is detected, forestalled and appropriate remedial action taken in tandem with the relevant laws and regulations.
In a circular dated August 9 and addressed to principals, head teachers and all teachers, Mrs Macharia asked them not to accept to be compromised. KCPE and KCSE exams are set to begin on October 29, and November 2, respectively.