Teachers press the State for Sh49 billion budget

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Kenya: Teachers pressed their case for a Budget allocation of Sh25 billion to cover additional allowances during a meeting Tuesday with the new Education Secretary.

This and other demands totaling Sh49.7 billion were made during a meeting of representatives of the teachers’ union Knut, Teachers Service Commission and Education Secretary Prof Kaimenyi hosted by members of the Parliamentary committee responsible for the docket.

Teachers have demanded that the government allocates Sh49.7 billion to cover among other bills commuter, house and medical allowances in the next financial year.

Out of the Sh49.7 billion, they have asked that a total of Sh25 billion be allocated to pay the three allowances covered by a 1997 agreement but denied by gazette notice number 16 of 2003, which they want revoked.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has previously gone on a nationwide strike over the contentious legal notice and now promises to down tools again if it is not revoked.

In their budget proposals submitted to Kaimenyi, Knut wants the government to set aside some Sh15.2 billion to recruit 40,000 teachers in the next financial year.

The union wants another Sh5 billion factored into the budget towards recruitment of 24,000 nursery school teachers.

In addition, Knut national Chairman Wilson Sossion and the union Secretary General Xavier Nyamu demanded in a meeting with Prof Kaimenyi that recruitment of the Early Childhood Education (ECD) teachers be conducted by the TSC.

The officials objected to a move by the Government to have recruitment of those teachers done by county governments.

“We are in agreement with the ministry of Education and the TSC that hiring of these teachers must be done by the TSC,” said Sossion.

Laptops project

In the letter seen by The Standard, Knut also wants half-a-billion shillings set aside to retrain teachers on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ahead of the government roll-out for the laptops project.

Mr Sossion said some 24,000 teachers should be retrained on ICT for smooth implementation of the laptops for class one project as envisaged by the Jubilee government.

Yesterday, Kaimenyi and TSC officials met with the House Committee on Education Science and Technology and discussed the need for allocation of more funds to address the shortage of teachers as requested by Knut.

A well-placed source present at the committee meeting also said the Ministry of Education also requested Sh17 billion for the first phase implementation of the laptop project.

The project will be implemented in three phases subject to availability of funds but Knut has also requested that all teachers who will handle the laptop teaching be trained as soon as possible.

The Knut leadership also demanded that the government allocate Sh4 billion to cater for promotion of teachers.

Two months ago, Knut gave a two-week strike notice if the government did not rescind a decision to scrap hardship allowances in some areas and provide money for promotion of teachers.

The strike was called off after TSC bowed to pressure and re-allocated the hardship allowances but said the National Treasury had not allocated money for promotion.

Yesterday, the union again threatened to call a nationwide strike if Treasury failed to factor in the Budget cash to promote teachers.

Teachers Service Commission also submitted these budget estimates to the House Committee on Education Science and Technology yesterday.

If Knut demands for Sh25 billion to implement the legal notice no 534 of 1997 are met, TSC will have an additional Sh2 billion on its monthly wage bill.

Speaking to the Press yesterday, Nyamu and Sossion, who were flanked by the union national treasurer Albanus Mutisya, said they want immediate revocation of the contentious legal notice no 16 of 2003 that amended some of the allowances as were negotiated under the 1997 agreement.

This matter was subject of debate yesterday when the Education Secretary Kaimenyi appeared before the house committee.

Committee chair Sabina Chege told The Standard that they sought to know why the legal notice had not been de-gazetted several months after the House committee on delegated legislation recommended its revocation.

They also sought to know why the return to work formula that called off the strike between the teachers’ union and the state was not signed by TSC secretary.

The document had recommended that TSC immediately initiate the legal process of de-gazetting the contentious legal notice.

It also stated that Knut and TSC should negotiate the framework for implementation of the 1997 legal notice.

No deal

“We wanted to know why the TSC did not sign. We also wanted to hear what is complicating full implementation of the 1997 agreement given that almost half the deal has been implemented,” said Ms Chege.

Knut yesterday asked teachers to prepare for another strike that will be called anytime soon, only this time it will have a legal backing.

This is after talks between the Conciliator, Knut and the TSC failed to resolve how the legal notice would be revoked.

A note generated by the conciliator confirms that after the agreed timelines of the talks elapsed without an agreement between government and Knut.

The teachers’ union has interpreted this to mean that any strike called over the issue will be legal under the law.