Education CS says teachers will get their July and August 2024 salary increase by Friday.
Mr. Julius Migosi Ogamba, Cabinet Secretary (CS) of the Ministry of Education, has made a strong plea to the striking teachers who are affiliated with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) to end their strike and return to the classroom while their concerns are being addressed.
According to the CS, the government has set aside Sh13.5 billion to cover the payment of teachers’ wage increases in July and August, which was one of the controversial problems. Additionally, Sh18.7 billion has been set aside for the hiring of 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable (P & P) terms.
Migosi said that the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2021–2025 has been fully implemented by the government and urged the teachers to return to the classroom in order to relieve the students’ ongoing suffering.
“As proof of the government’s good faith and commitment to addressing teachers’ concerns, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has worked nonstop to ensure that all public school teachers receive their July and August salary increases by Friday this week.
We are fully engaging the Union officials on various issues raised by the teachers.” This is the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) being implemented, as the National Treasury released Sh13.5 billion for the same, according to the CS.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 54th annual Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA) official opening in Naivasha, the CS explained that approximately 2,000 trainers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) had been posted to various TVETs across the nation to help revitalize the sector after undergoing some induction.
By adopting innovations for sustainable development, ATUPA aims to transform Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETS) across Africa.
Migosi noted that students continued to report to their individual institutions for the third term based on reports they had received from the field.
He explained that this was because parents and guardians felt more confident after the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) decided to postpone their planned strike.
“The government is in talks with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) to restore full industrial harmony in the education sector. We are confident that these talks will result in KUPPET members returning to work, given that the government has fully implemented the second phase of the CBA and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is handling the other administrative issues in a cooperative, methodical, and consultative manner,” the statement read.
For instance, Migosi pointed out that President Ruto declared on Sunday that the government planned to hire 20,000 more teachers by the end of the school year in an effort to reduce the high teacher-to-student ratio in public schools.
Additionally, Sh18.7 billion has been allocated by the government to help intern teachers become permanent and eligible for pensions in January 2025.
“In essence, every significant problem that had sparked strike notices has either been resolved or is scheduled for a swift, final resolution. In order to prepare candidates for national assessments and examinations, we therefore implore teachers who may not have returned to their work stations to do so. We also ask that they make sure that all other class material is covered in order to ensure a seamless transition between the various educational levels,” he said.
The CS stated that since taking office, he has encountered an increasing number of difficulties, including notices of teacher union strikes, questions about university funding, and the distribution of capitation money to schools. However, he gave the nation the reassurance that they were working nonstop to find solutions to all of the problems.
In order to do this, Migosi promised to take the lead in negotiations with the appropriate authorities in order to resolve any outstanding concerns and enable smooth learning in both public schools and higher education institutions.
On the eve of the return of classes, KNUT and KUPPET, the two largest teachers’ unions, announced that they would go on strike at midnight on Monday. However, Knut backed down, announcing at the last minute that the government would be resolving their issues and ending the strike.
The promotion of 130,000 teachers, the permanent and pensionable absorption of 46,000 additional workers, and the submission of loan deductions and statutory payments to the appropriate statutory agencies were among the six points that the two Unions had intended to strike over on Monday.
Presently, more than 220,000 teachers work in the nation’s public schools; roughly 60,000 of them, primarily in secondary schools, are members of KUPPET, a union whose walkout began on Monday and has caused disruptions in educational institutions.
Education CS says teachers will get their July and August 2024 salary increase by Friday.
