A viral payslip showing a hefty pay for an intern nurse has left a section of teachers pondering on worthiness of their jobs.
The October payslip which showed the intern nurse earning a net salary of sh. 73,720 after deductions has caused storm with some teachers calling for salary reviews to match with other public employees.
In the payslip the intern nurse earns a basic salary of sh. 38,270, rental house allowance of sh. 9,600 and a commuter allowance of sh. 5,000.
In addition, the intern nurse who is a diploma holder earns a health risk allowance of sh. 3,850, a health workers extraneous allowance of sh. 20,000 and a nursing service allowance of sh. 20,000, all totaling to a gross salary of sh. 96,720.
Contrary an intern teacher employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and attached to a primary school gets a monthly stipend of Sh15,000 while his or her colleague in secondary school earns Sh20,000.
Unlike their colleagues in the Ministry of health the teacher interns do not enjoy any allowance.
However the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) gave classroom teachers a major win through a new job evaluation which recognized their huge role in school.
A report by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) disclosed that the last job evaluation was skewed, favouring school heads while leaving classroom teachers with nothing.
The report shows the present job descriptions of the classrooms teachers, based on the 2016/2017 evaluation, grossly undervalued their worth, resulting in poor pay.
It discloses that the present Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), implemented based on the last job evaluation, heavily favoured head teachers as it did not aptly capture classroom teachers’ job descriptions.
For example a primary school headteacher who is in job group C5 (T-Scale 10) earns a minimum basic salary of sh. 62,272 and a maximum of sh. 77,840 while a classroom teacher who is in job group B5 (T-Scale 5) earns a minimum salary of sh. 21,756 and a maximum of sh. 27,195.
“There were significant disparities in the compensation and career progression between the institutional administrators and classroom teachers in the teaching profession as the job evaluation results for 2016/2017 did not adequately cater for the remuneration of classroom teachers. This might be attributed to poor development of job descriptions in 2016,” reads the SRC report.
The current grading favoured school mangers, with classrooms teachers only getting minimal pay.
However, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) said it reflected the relative worth of the job and level of responsibility, decision-making and impact.
The good news for classroom teachers however is that results of the 2021/2022 – 2024/2025 remuneration review cycle, which will be used to negotiate the next phase of teachers’ salaries now captures their true worth and outlines an elaborate job description which will form basis for pay negotiations.
The new report has also collapsed remuneration of head teachers based on categories of schools, noting this has occasioned serious administrative challenges in appointment, deployment and transfer of teachers.
“TSC’s administrative and contractual mandate to deploy and re-assign institutional administrators has been severely curtailed by the categorization,” reads the report.
Under CBC, categorisation of schools as national, extra-county, county and sub-county schools, is being phased out in favour of career pathways of social sciences, arts & sports science and Science Technical Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Also, the new job evaluation recognises their new tasks under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), which gives them supervisory roles.
“Introduction of CBC significantly varied the scope and the job content of teachers’ duties and responsibilities, consequently the TSC has developed and submitted more comprehensive JDs on the same,” reads the report.
The report says teachers will have increased supervisory roles which were not initially captured in their present job descriptions. It says classroom teachers will now coordinate learning and teaching activities.
They will also supervise to school rules and routines while on duty. They will also supervise learners’ safety and health during practical lessons. They will also supervise school programmes and coordinate subjects in their areas of specialisation.
The report says all primary classroom teachers will provide quality education to learners in primary institutions by facilitating acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values.
And for secondary classroom teachers, the report says they will provide quality education to learners in post-primary institutions by facilitating acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values.
Both positions will also responsible for molding and empowering the learner into an ethical citizen in line with the curriculum and goals of education, reads the report.
TSC and teachers unions, Knut, Kuppet and Kusnet signed a non-monetary CBA citing Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) advisory.
However last week Parliament revoked three circulars from the SRC circulars that had limited collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to a four-year cycle for workers in the public service.
MPs ruled the circulars are unconstitutional as they violate workers’ rights to engage in collective bargaining with the employers in line with provisions of Article 41(5) of the Constitution.
The Article stipulates that “every trade union, employers’ organisation and employer has the right to engage in collective bargaining.”
“Considering that the Guidelines limit the right to collective bargaining, they must be enacted in strict adherence to constitutional dictates set out in Article 24 of the Constitution,” the MPs said in a report.
This means workers, through unions will be free to negotiate for new pay increases which the commission had frozen.
TSC advertised 1,995 teacher internship posts in September 2021 where 1,038 posts went to primary schools and 957 posts to secondary schools.
TSC said the recruitment of the intern teachers was in support of the Governments initiative to develop a pool of young talents for the Kenyan Labour Market.
TSC Internship programme is a short term programme lasting one year that supports efforts by teacher training institutions to equip and sustain the competencies of persons entering teaching service.
The recruitment of intern teachers is meant to address severe teacher shortage in schools.
TSC also extended internship for 4,005 teachers whose one year term was to end in December 2021.
The Commission had outlined its plan of employing at least 6,000 intern teachers by December 2021.
According to TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia the additional employees would ease teachers’ workload as enrollment rises, particularly due to the government’s 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school policy.
“This is a commendable government effort to ensure quality learning and teaching in our public schools,” said Macharia.
Macharia said the recruitment of 6,000 teachers on internship will cost the Commission kshs 1.2 billion.
She said TSC is more concerned with the workload brought by the 100 per cent transition policy and commended the government for allocating more funds for recruiting more teachers.
“We appreciate the government for allocating TSC funds annually for the recruitment of additional teachers since the 100 per cent transition programme was launched,” said Nancy Macharia.
However of the 6,000 internship vacancies only 2,000 will go to primary schools while the rest 4,000 will be reserved for secondary schools.
Last year TSC recruited 12,000 intern teachers under the Covid-19 economic stimulus package at a cost of Sh2.4 billion.
During the recruitment TSC highlighted the following requirements for one to be eligible for internship.
ELIGIBILITY FOR INTERNSHIP
To qualify, an applicant must at the time of application meet the following basic requirements:
a) Be Kenyan citizen;
b) Must be a registered teacher with Teachers Service Commission;
c) Be a holder of a P1 Certificate for Primary Schools and a minimum of a Diploma in Education Certificate for Secondary Schools;
d) Hold original academic and professional certificates;
e) Should not have been in previous employment with the Commission, as a teacher on permanent terms;
f) Must not have served as teacher intern under TSC (teacher) Internship Programme;
g) Be ready to be posted to any public educational institution in Kenya;
h) Must have a Personal Accident Insurance to cover for personal risks during the internship period.
In addition to the above, successful applicants shall be required to produce;
a) A copy of the National Identity Card (ID) or Passport Certificate;
b) A copy of Teacher Registration Certificate/ print-out from TSC portal evidencing registration as a teacher;
c) A copy of NCPWD card (where applicable);
d) A valid Certificate of Good Conduct;
e) Two (2) coloured passport size photographs;
f) A copy of NHIF card;
g) A copy of KRA PIN.
Below are new salaries for teachers starting July 2021
APPENDIX 1: BASIC SALARY
| Grade | TSC Scale | Basic Pay Minimum | Basic Pay Maximum |
| B5 | 5 | 21,756 | 27,195 |
| C1 | 6 | 27,195 | 33,994 |
| C2 | 7 | 34,955 | 43,694 |
| C3 | 8 | 43,154 | 53,943 |
| C4 | 9 | 52,308 | 65,385 |
| C5 | 10 | 62,272 | 77,840 |
| D1 | 11 | 77,840 | 93,408 |
| D2 | 12 | 91,041 | 109,249 |
| D3 | 13 | 104,644 | 125,573 |
| D4 | 14 | 118,242 | 141,891 |
| D5 | 15 | 131,380 | 157,656 |
APPENDIX 2: COMMUTER ALLOWANCE
| Grade | TSC Scale | Commuter Allowance p.m |
| B5 | 5 | 4,000 |
| C1 | 6 | 4,000 |
| C2 | 7 | 5,000 |
| C3 | 8 | 6,000 |
| C4 | 9 | 8,000 |
| C5 | 10 | 8,000 |
| D1 | 11 | 12,000 |
| D2 | 12 | 12,000 |
| D3 | 13 | 14,000 |
| D4 | 14 | 14,000 |
| D5 | 15 | 16,000 |
APPENDIX 3: DISABILITY GUIDE ALLOWANCE
| Grade | TSC Scale | Disability Guide Allowance p.m |
| B5 | 5 | 20,000 |
| C1 | 6 | 20,000 |
| C2 | 7 | 20,000 |
| C3 | 8 | 20,000 |
| C4 | 9 | 20,000 |
| C5 | 10 | 20,000 |
| D1 | 11 | 20,000 |
| D2 | 12 | 20,000 |
| D3 | 13 | 20,000 |
| D4 | 14 | 20,000 |
| D5 | 15 | 20,000 |
APPENDIX 4: LEAVE ALLOWANCE
| Grade | TSC Scale | Annual Leave Allowance p.m |
| B5 | 5 | 4,000 |
| C1 | 6 | 4,000 |
| C2 | 7 | 6,000 |
| C3 | 8 | 6,000 |
| C4 | 9 | 6,000 |
| cs | 10 | 6,000 |
| D1 | 11 | 10,000 |
| D2 | 12 | 10,000 |
| D3 | 13 | 10,000 |
| D4 | 14 | 10,000 |
| D5 | 15 | 10,000 |
APPENDIX 5: HOUSE ALLOWANCE
| Grade | TSC Scale | Hse1 Nairobi | Hse2 -Major Municipalities- Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii and Kitale | Hse3 -Other former Minor Municipalities | Hse4 – alI other areas |
| BS | 5 | 6,750 | 4,500 | 3,850 | 3,200 |
| C1 | 6 | 10,000 | 7,500 | 5,800 | 4,200 |
| C2 | 7 | 16,500 | 12,800 | 9,600 | 7,500 |
| C3 | 8 | 28,000 | 22,000 | 16,500 | 13,000 |
| C4 | 9 | 28,000 | 22,000 | 16,500 | 13,000 |
| C5 | 10 | 35,000 | 25,500 | 18,000 | 15,400 |
| D1 | 11 | 45,000 | 28,000 | 21,000 | 16,800 |
| D2 | 12 | 45,000 | 28,000 | 21,000 | 16,800 |
| D3 | 13 | 45,000 | 28,000 | 21,000 | 16,800 |
| D4 | 14 | 45,000 | 28,000 | 21,000 | 16,800 |
| D5 | 15 | 50,000 | 35,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 |
APPENDIX 6:HARDSHIP ALLOWANCE
| Grade | TSC Scale | Hardship Allowance p.m |
| B5 | 5 | 6,600 |
| C1 | 6 | 8,200 |
| C2 | 7 | 10,900 |
| C3 | 8 | 12,300 |
| C4 | 9 | 14,650 |
| C5 | 10 | 17,100 |
| D1 | 11 | 27,300 |
| D2 | 12 | 27,300 |
| D3 | 13 | 31,500 |
| D4 | 14 | 31,500 |
| D5 | 15 | 38,100 |