Knut and TSC salary talks are stalling as the teachers’ strike approaches.
Teachers remained steadfast in their pursuit of the complete execution of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) they had inked with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), their employer.
It comes after parliament failed to include the Sh 13.3 billion needed for phase two of the CBA implementation in the supplemental budget that President William Ruto approved last week.
The CBA’s second phase, which covers teacher pay and benefits, and its 2023 amendment come into effect on July 1, 2024. Phase one of the agreement has already been put into force. There were two stages to the CBA’s implementation.
In order to push for the implementation of the CBA, teachers will regrettably be required to downshift when classes resume in September for the third and final term of the year, according to Mr. Collins Oyuu, Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and First National Vice Chairman Malel Langat.
“We find it puzzling that the TSC, with full knowledge that the instruments for implementing the agreement had been negotiated, agreed upon, signed, and deposited in court, did not lobby to ensure the Sh 13.3 billion meant for implementation of the second phase of CBA,” Mr. Oyuu stated.
Speaking to the Nation in Bomet on Thursday, Mr. Oyuu and Mr. Langat expressed regret that the legislature had disregarded the teachers’ cries to prevent a catastrophe in the school system.
“We brought up the matter with the Kiharu Member of Parliament, Ndindi Nyoro, and his Education counterpart, Julius Melly (Tinderet MP), to make sure that the teacher funding allotment is not tampered with, as that would bring chaos to the education sector. However, it seems like they ignored him, Mr. Oyuu remarked.
We will not give up on our efforts to guarantee the CBA’s full implementation since teachers have a right to it. Mr. Oyuu stated, “There is no way to renegotiate the legally binding agreement at the Employment and Labour Relations Court.”
They said that in response to the insensitivity displayed by the parliament and TSC about the application of the legal instruments, the teachers will go on strike upon the reopening of the schools in order to demand their just compensation (CBA).
According to Mr. Langat, if TSC did not execute the CBA for the teachers, it would be held in contempt of court because the agreement was legitimate and had been signed by the chairman, the national chairman, the secretary general of KNUT, and the commission’s chief executive officer.
“The money for the implementation of the CBA, which provides for salary increment for the teachers in this country, should have been the first item on the table to be considered in the appropriation of the funds,” Mr. Langat stated.
Even in light of the current economic difficulties, Kenya is not an exception when it comes to the need for significant expansion in the education sector, according to Mr. Oyuu.
Following the Finance Bill, 2024’s rejection, which sparked protests, KNUT and KUPPET both urged President William Ruto’s administration three weeks ago not to meddle with the education sector allocation in the budget reset.
At the time, the union’s secretary for secondary schools, Mr. Edward Obwocha, the women representative, and Mr. Omboko Milemba, the national chairperson of KUPPET, declared that teachers would not back down from their demand for a pay increase.
Cutting back on financing for teacher salaries and benefits is like inviting disorder into the classroom. Education is one of the most important areas that the government and parliament shouldn’t meddle in, according to Mr. Obwocha.
The country has been shaken by student demonstrations against a plethora of unfavorable economic measures, so the teachers’ threat to go on strike to force the government to implement their demands is unsettling.
“It’s evident that teachers weren’t given enough money, and they’re not holding back when they threaten to go on strike when classes resume. Since this is not a novel problem, it is something that might have been prevented, according to Ms. Wambilianga.
President Ruto signed the Supplementary Appropriations Bill, 2024, which lowers government spending projections for the 2024–2025 fiscal year, into law on Monday.
It lowered government spending by 145.7 billion, with the majority of the savings coming from the Judiciary (Sh 2.1 billion), Parliament (Sh 3.7 billion), and Executive (Sh 139.81 billion).
Four6,000 intern teachers will be confirmed with a total budget of Sh 18.7 billion, while Sh 30.7 billion would be used to cap the number of Junior Secondary School (JSS) students, including those making the move to grade nine.
A further Sh 23 billion has been set aside for universities under the Differentiated Unit Cost funding model, Sh 31.3 billion for loans and scholarships from the Higher Education Loans Board, and an additional Sh 17 billion to the University Funding Board for student scholarships.
One of the biggest obstacles to the challenging implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) education system is the teacher shortage in elementary and secondary schools that are trying to educate an increasing number of students.
The government has been requested numerous times to review the CBC system of education’s implementation matrix, but instead of addressing the concerns voiced by the stakeholders, the government has pushed through with the implementation.
Knut and TSC salary talks are stalling as the teachers’ strike approaches.
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