KNUT urges teachers to ignore plans of signing performance contracts

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion. [PHOTO: GILBERT KIMUTAI/STANDARD]

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has asked its members to ignore plans by Teachers Service Commission to have them sign performance contracts.

Knut Secretary General Wsilson Sossion said the new move by TSC to ask teachers to sign performance contract was illegal and unconstitutional.

Mr Sossion said the move by TSC was part of a wider scheme to abuse the rights to teachers by taking advantage of poor performance by public schools in the just released KCPE.

He threatened to lead teachers into downing tools in protest of the new plans to appraise teachers saying the teachers employers was out to mistreat teachers contrary to the provision of TSC Act.

"Nobody should listen to calls to sign performance contracts. There is nowhere in law where teachers are needed to sign contracts and it is a ploy to mistreat the teaching fraternity in the country," he said in an interview yesterday.

Sossion said if teachers must be appraised it should be first approved by TSC terms under section 13 of the TSC Act, adding that TSC had not acted on the section before starting the appraising of teachers.

"It is shocking that the latest move by TSC was in itself in contravention of the TSC Act and somebody is pushing it to be implemented blindly. Teachers should therefore ignore the calls by all means," he added.

Sossion regretted that TSC was pushing for teachers to sign performance contract as a result of poor performance by school and allegations of teacher absenteeism in schools.

Sossion said teachers were absent legally from school last year for eight weeks during the prolonged strike to push for better terms and should not be used to punish the them.

"To down tools is a constitutional right of every Kenyan and teachers are not an exception and therefore the eight week strike should not be used as an excuse to punish teachers and push them into signing performance contract," the unionist said.

He said Knut would fight the bid to the bitter end saying TSC was employing unorthodox mean to mistreat teachers.