The 1,693 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers in Meru are a happy lot after the county government raised their salaries.
This followed the implementation of a long-standing scheme of service for ECDE tutors.
Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (Kunoppet-Meru) Chairman Harrison Kimathi said they were now satisfied after Governor Isaac Mutuma honoured commitments the devolved unit made to ECDE teachers.
"We have worked from 2014 to date, designated as senior support staff," Job group D. Since then, we have stagnated for 12 years with no clear career progression. Now that we have been placed in the rightful schedule of service, we will be able to have a clear career progression since, after three years, we will be moving to the next job group," said Mr Kimathi.
Certificate Holders will move from Job group F -L, Diploma holders will move from job group H- N and Degree holders will move from Job group K- R.
"This will also improve and boost the morale of teachers, hence improving the quality of education in Meru County. ECDE teachers play a very critical role in shaping the future of young learners and therefore they deserve to be paid reasonably well," Kimathi said.
The pay hike, modern ECDE classrooms and play areas and a feeding programme are among features at the centres, and the union said it will raise service delivery.
"The feeding programme was initiated this term and it is going well, and it has improved the enrolment in our school. We encourage the county government to continue with the programme for retention of learners in our schools," Kimathi added.
He said ECDE teachers manning 784 ECDE centres and serving over 60, 000 children across Meru had been poorly paid, overworked and lacked promotions, despite their professional qualifications.
"We have been campaigning for this (implementation) and we are very happy that Governor Mutuma has implemented the ECDE scheme of service, which will motivate teachers in Meru," Mr Kimathi said.
He said the certificate, diploma and degree holders were relieved that they would be getting improved salaries, compared to the past when they were all earning the same salary (Sh22,600), yet the scheme of service detailed how much the teachers in various job groups should earn.
"The teachers will now be paid as per the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Circular that was issued in 2023," he said.
Commuter and house allowance were pegged at Sh3,000 and Sh2, 750, respectively, he said.
"That could not sustain us in this economy. As young ECDE teachers, we wanted to be remunerated as stipulated in the scheme of service."
According to the scheme, a degree holder should earn up to Sh57, 230.
Certificate and diploma holders should be paid up to Sh26, 460 and Sh37, 000, respectively.
"Certificate holders have been placed in Job Group F and G, diploma holders in Job Group H and degree holders are now in Job Group K. In the past, ECDE teachers were referred to as senior support staff but we found that discriminatory. They were not recognised as professional teachers, but we are happy they are now in their correct job groups," Kimathi added.
The teachers had also taken issue with the fact that they were being referred to as 'senior support staff' in the primary schools' compounds they share with others.
"We found this very demeaning to ECDE teachers. Because we went to school and earned certificates, diplomas, and degrees. We are registered by the Teachers Service Commission and many of us want to pursue further education and earn Master's and PhD," said Kimathi, adding that they should be respected as professionals.
"We are the people who lay the foundation for the children's development and education. We work hard despite the challenges."
However, even as they expressed relief that they are set for higher salaries, they rued the workload, pointing to the fact that the teacher-to-learner ratio had not been met.
"Currently, the workload issue has not been addressed, so we are asking the county government to add more teachers to address the issue. We require around 400 new teachers. A teacher should be teaching no more than 25 learners in a class, for effectiveness," Kimathi said.
Governor Isaac Mutuma said the implementation of the scheme of service was among the measures his administration had undertaken to ensure a conducive learning environment in the centres.
"These centres are equipped with modern classrooms, child-friendly furniture and feeding programmes reaching over) 60,000 learners, ensuring our young ones grow healthy, happy and ready to learn," he said.
On the school feeding programme, the county boss said: "In this financial year, the county government of Meru has set aside Sh54m to implement this programme. The programme is set to benefit 784 public ECDE centres with a total population of 63, 946 who are in PP1 and PP2. Each learner is expected to be provided with a mug of fortified porridge daily."
The feeding programme had also been boosted by Ripples International, a child rights and community development NGO that runs a school feeding programme in the most vulnerable areas, including those in semi-arid regions.
Coupled with a motivated teaching staff, feeding and play areas, the ECDE teachers' union said they would play their part effectively.
Their roles include teaching, role modelling, guidance and counselling, mentoring and motivation of learners, preparing reports on the children and ensuring safety and security of the learners.
Other functions include organising and facilitating play and learning activities.
The scheme of service was developed by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Council of Governors (CoG), TSC, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the National Treasury, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and others.
The scheme laid the foundation for standardised and effective teacher professional management, career growth and effective service delivery in ECDE centres.
The scheme also outlines basic job descriptions, personal qualities and competencies required for each job grade and the minimum requirements.
