Teachers’ fury as funds for allowances and promotion miss in Henry Rotich’s 2013/14 Budget

Kitui teachers in a past function [Image: File]

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

The Government is headed for a major confrontation with teachers unions this week after it failed to factor any funds to cater for their interests.

Of the Sh1.6 trillion budget read by the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich on Thursday, no money was allocated for promotion and recruitment of teachers.

Also missing was the money to pay teachers’ allowances as negotiated under the 1997 agreement. The Government, however, set aside Sh53.2 billion to implement the free laptops pledge for Standard One pupils.

Mr Rotich said the cash would be used to purchase laptops for some 1.35 million children expected to join Standard One next year.

The money, he said, will also be used to develop digital content and build the capacity for teachers who will cascade the Information and Communication Technology integration in schools.

The same funds will cater for construction of computer laboratories for Standard Four to Eight pupils.

Rotich said this would translate to Sh17.4 billion each financial year. But what has infuriated teachers more is lack of funds to pay those expected to implement the laptops programme.

Boycott classes

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) said they would not support the project if teachers were not well remunerated.

Knut national Chairman Wilson Sossion said the union presented its proposals to the House Budget Committee and also lobbied through the Ministry of Education.

“But no one took us seriously. We did not only talk about our remuneration but we also touched on important areas in the sector like bridging the teachers deficit in schools,” said Mr Sossion.

He said Knut had requested Sh15 billion to recruit 40,000 teachers to cut the deficit by half. And Sh5 billion to recruit 24,000 nursery school teachers and another Sh4 billion to promote teachers.

“None of these funds have been allocated. What are we supposed to do especially now that they want us to implement the laptops project?” he said.

He added: “Teachers will treat the laptops project as a “highly suspicious project”.

What is however likely to see teachers boycott classes this week is the failure by the Government to allocate any funds to pay their allowances as negotiated in 1997.

Implementing these allowances means that another legal notice no 16 of 2003 that amended the perks must be nullified.

There has been a standoff over the degazzetment of this legal notice several months after the House Committee on Delegated Legislation recommended so.

House Education Committee chair Sabinah Chege has also instructed the Ministry of Education in consultation with Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to resolve the stalemate to avert a looming strike.

The 2013/2014 financial year budgetary requirement of the TSC indicates that the financial implication of implementing the full allowances is Sh47 billion.

This is the money Knut wants made available to stop the strike. “We have already summoned the National Executive Council to make a strong decision. This week we may make a major announcement so let teachers be prepared,” said Sossion.

Flanked by union secretary general Xavier Nyamu and the national treasurer Albanus Mutisya, the official said they no longer trust the Government to deliver on its pledges.

Laptops project

“We did our part. They failed us. So when the strike starts there shall be no negotiations,” said Sossion.

He said the laptops project would collapse because underpaid teachers would not be motivated to roll out the ambitious project.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) already issued a strike notice which lapses next week Tuesday. Knut, however, said they would not be required to issue a strike notice because they already did so in February.

Meanwhile, talks on failure by the Government to allocate Sh3.4 billion to promote teachers is set to dominate discussions in Mombasa, where more than 6,000 secondary school heads gather to discuss transformation of teachers’ management.

Also to take centre stage is lack of funds allocated to recruit more teachers in the next financial budget and the threat by the two teachers unions to call a nationwide strike.

Knut officials have said they will ask their members to withdraw labour any minute from Monday.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association national chairman John Awiti said also to top the discussions will be the delayed recruitment of Teachers Service Commission senior staff. Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi will Tuesday open the one week forum that will take place at the Wild Waters Center.

Deputy president William Ruto is expected to address the teachers on Tuesday.

Kenya National Examination Council secretary Paul Wasanga, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development boss Lydia Nzomo, Education secretary Enos Oyaya and director secondary and tertiary education Robert Masese are expected to attend.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho is also scheduled to address the teachers.