KNUT proposes Sh30.2b for recruitment and promotion of teachers in next budget

By CHARLES NGENO

BOMET, KENYA: The Kenya National Union of Teachers has asked the government to set aside an extra Sh30.2 billion for recruitment and promotion of teachers in 2014/2015 financial year.

During its submission on the 2014/2015 national education sector budget, union Secretary General Wilson Sossion said the amount will be used to recruit an additional 40,000 primary and post primary teachers, 24,000 Early Childhood and Development Education (ECDE) teachers, promote all deserving teachers and pay leave allowance for all teachers.

“The current teacher shortage stands at over 100,000 teachers. Knut proposes a one off recruitment of 40,000 teachers to ease on the biting shortage. This will cost Sh18 billion and Sh4.8 billion for ECDE teachers,” said Sossion.

Sossion said the union is opposed to a move by county government to hire ECDE teachers saying this is a prerogative of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). He said the current enrolment in all ECDE schools stands at over three million children with a teacher requirement of 70,000 teachers.

“Knut proposes the recruitment of 25,000 teachers this fiscal year by the TSC as provided for in Section 237 of the constitution,” said the unionist.

He noted that the union is concerned that hardworking teachers ought to be promoted as per the existing schemes of service adding that the government should set aside Sh6 billion for such promotions.

“Leave is a right for every worker in the Labour Relations Act and thus we have proposed that Sh1.4 billion be factored for all the 288,103 teachers in this financial year to forestall denying them this critical right,” said Sossion.