By Rawlings Otieno
The Knut officials have officially called off the teachers’ strike after government accepting their pay demand of 13.5 billion.
Teachers are thus resuming work on Tuesday after a 23 day boycott of duty that paralysed learning in public schools sending panic to examinable classes to resort to libraries and private tuitions.
Speaking at joint press conference in Nairobi, Monday morning, the Knut officials together with the Minister for Education, Mutula Kilonzo expressed their satisfaction on the reached deal.
And in their in-tray full, teachers are expected to rise to the occasion and recap the lost time even as Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education KCSE beckons.
Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo said that he will form a committee to discuss various ways of recovering the time lost including the possibility mooted by the cabinet to extend the term by three weeks.
Already Kenya National Examination Council KNEC has stood its ground that the calendar of the examinations will not be changed, but should the term be extended, only the non-examinable classes will enjoy.
Mutual at the same time, sent a strong message to the government to honour agreements it signs with various unions and other organizations.
“In future, the government must find a way of honouring the agreements. We cannot continue like this where agreements are ignored by the executive,” said Mutula.
While calling off the strike, Kenya National Union of Teachers KNUT Secretary General Okuta Osiany, advised teachers to go back to classes on Tuesday by 8am.
More updates coming
