Teachers to get Sh18 billion boom in July as TSC appeals to Treasury

The teachers’ employer has pitched a Sh18 billion deal to increase salaries starting July 1, 2018.

A comprehensive budget proposal tabled in Parliament by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) says the money will be used to implement the second phase of the pay deal.

The money is part of the Sh54 billion Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that TSC signed with unions last year on behalf of the 312,060 teachers to cover the period 2017/21.

The implementation of the deal started in July 1, 2017, and will be effected in two phases for lowest paid teachers and four phases for highest paid staff.

This means the 156,000 teachers who fall under the lowest paid cadres of job group H, J and K, will have their salary spread across two years.

Full pay

These teachers – most of them in primary – will get their full pay this July once the TSC implements the last phase. Senior secondary school teachers and principles who fall under the highest paid cadre will get their pay spread across four phases.

TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia told the National Assembly Education Committee that implementation of the second phase of the CBA is its top agenda to ensure peaceful industrial harmony.

TSC has been allocated Sh218.6 billion for the 2018/19 financial year, up from Sh201 billion this year.

The CBA signed by Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) also introduced a new grading regime for teachers.

Teachers who previously fall under job groups G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, and R will now fall under B5, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5 from lowest to highest paid staff in that order.

The budgetary demand however means that teachers are once again bracing for a boom this July.

Salary details contained in the implementation schedule shows that primary teachers who under the current phase earn Sh19,224 will from July take home Sh21,756.

These teachers currently fall under new grade B5. The highest pay bracket for this grade opens up to Sh27,197.

Primary and secondary teachers who were previously under job group H and J will now be graded under C1. They currently earn between Sh25,929 and Sh31,956. Their new pay in July will be between Sh27,195 and Sh33,994.

Teachers who previously fell under job group K and are now graded under job group C2 currently earn between Sh32,988 and Sh42,642. Under the second and final phase, these teachers will now earn between Sh34,955 and Sh43,694.

Senior teachers under job group G and J are now in grade C2 and their pay will be staggered in four phases. The senior teachers currently earn between Sh21,719 and Sh32,004 and at the end of phase four, they will all earn Sh34,955.

Further details show that all teachers previously under job group L are now graded under C3.

They currently earn Sh37,721 and Sh47,896 and after the fourth phase, they will take home between Sh43,154 and Sh53,943.

Those under G and L will now fall under the administrative grade C4. They currently earn up to Sh47,896 and will take home Sh52,308 at the end of fourth phase. Teachers under grade C5, who currently take home up to Sh55,840 will now earn Sh64,631 at the end of the fourth phase.

Those under D1 to D5, who currently earn between Sh55,231 and Sh148,360 will take home a salary range of between Sh77,840 and Sh157,656 at the end of the four years implementation.

In her detailed presentation, Dr Macharia pitched for more money to hire additional teachers to bridge the gap that now stands at 104,821.

TSC seeks to hire 22,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms to cater for growing teacher demand. In addition to these, teachers will also get house allowance, hardship allowance, commuter allowance and annual leave allowance.

Also to be paid is disability allowance and special schools allowances to qualified members.

Overall, TSC says it needs some Sh1.1 billion to cater for capacity building for teachers under the curriculum based establishment and entrenching performance appraisals and contacting.

More teachers

Of these, Sh900 million will be used to build the capacity of teachers and Sh200 million for training and monitoring of the ongoing teachers performance and appraisal tools.

TSC also asked for Sh300 million to hire 400 tutors in technical and vocational education and training institutions (TVET).

Macharia also asked MPs to consider allocating Sh720 million towards training of teachers on the digital literacy programme. The commission will also require Sh485 million to purchase vehicles for its sub-county directors across the country.