Head teachers demand broad health cover

Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Adan Duale (right) meets head teachers at the end of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association annual delegates conference at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa. [PHOTO: OMONDI ONYANGO/STANDARD]

Teachers are pressing the Government to speedily implement the comprehensive medical cover and scheme of service for heads of public primary schools.

Over 10, 000 head teachers also demanded timely release of Free Primary Education cash to schools, in resolutions announced Thursday at the close of the four-day Kenya Primary School Heads Association (Kepsha) conference in Mombasa.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) also announced that primary school head teachers who are not degree holders would gradually be phased out.

“We call on the Teachers Service Commission to hasten the inclusion of the teachers into a comprehensive medical scheme similar to that of TSC secretariat and other civil servants,” said the teachers in a resolution read by Kepsha chairman Joseph Karuga.

On Wednesday, TSC Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni assured teachers that work was ongoing to ensure all teachers get insurance cover, but the commission was yet to identify an insurer to offer the service.

He said the cover limits would vary depending on the teachers’ job groups.

“This involves a lot of money so we have to be very careful. But it is something in the pipeline and we will communicate to you once we are through,” said Mr Longoiboni.

Reports had indicated that TSC and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) sealed a deal on the medical scheme to be rolled out before the end of last month, but nothing happened.

Medical allowance

Although TSC did not disclose the cost of the cover, reports indicated that the teachers’ employer would remit in excess of Sh453 million, equal to the monthly medical allowances paid to the over 300,000 teachers in the country.

The head teachers also asked TSC to consider implementing a scheme of service for primary school head teachers to enhance retention and professional mobility.

The proposal has been pending because the Government has argued it is subject to availability of funds.

TSC had also said it was revising three schemes of service for non-graduate, graduate and technical teachers, and lecturers.

During the meeting, however, TSC ruled out any promotions or salary increases for head teachers with diplomas from the Kenya Education Management Institute (Kemi).

Teachers had lobbied for a new pay deal during the meeting.

They also asked the Government to change the ratio of disbursing FPE cash to installments of 50, 40 and 10 per cent for the first, second and third terms respectively.

Currently, the Government wires the money at ratios of 50, 30 and 20 per cent.

“The capitation grants should be disbursed in a timely manner in a ratio of 50 per cent, 40 per cent and 10 per cent before or at the start of school terms,” read one of the resolutions reached by the over 10,000 head teachers.

The teachers also called for synergy between the Ministry of Education and TSC at both national and county levels in apparent reference to the differences between the two institutions.

On Wednesday, Education, Science and Technology Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said the perceived differences between him and TSC were the creation of the media and the unions.

Yesterday, however, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale said he was aware of the differences and called on the two to bury the hatchet and work together.

“I ask CS (Jacob) Kaimenyi and TSC to iron out their differences as we review the TSC Act and Basic Education Act because I don’t want to receive different views. They should sit together with other bodies like Knut and talk,” said Duale during the official closing ceremony of the conference at Sheikh Zayed Children’s Centre in Mombasa.

The primary school heads also called for fast tracking of the schools electrification and ICT projects.

The Chairman of the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), Simon Gicharu, said out of the 21,222 primary schools in the country, 6,065 were yet to be connected to electricity, but would be catered for in the current financial year (2014/2015).

But he warned that vandalisation of electricity facilities could derail the implementation of the ICT project.

He said REA would connect the remaining schools to the national grid by April next year to pave the way for Government to roll out the free laptops project.