Threats, hard stance hurting education

By Kipkirui K’Telwa

The Government has suspended salaries of striking teachers and recalled those who retired within the last seven years as the work boycott entered its second week. Sad, isn’t it?

As if that was not enough, the teachers’ employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) also asked unemployed teacher graduates to register with the nearest educational offices. TSC is keen to intimidate and break the spirit of the striking teachers. The decision to withhold pay, in my opinion, is immoral and will end up killing the ailing public education sector. I say ailing because there is little teaching in these learning institutions.

Knut Secretary General Lawrence Majali has termed TSC move mere threats: "They cannot force us to call off the strike. We are Kenyans and we will press on no matter what".

Both Knut and the Government, through education minister Sam Ongeri and TSC boss Gabriel Lengoiboni, have proven to be bad negotiators. They arrived at the table with conditions and threats. These threaten any attempt to arrive at truce.

As a result, public school-going children might be forced to idle at home for longer time until Knut officials and Government reach a pay truce.

As I said earlier, teachers have few options in these hard times. They have no choice but to swallow humble pie – end the strike and reluctantly drag their feet to classrooms.

This is the sad reality that teachers have to face. Otherwise, people past retirement age and interns in their early 20s will grab their jobs.

It happened to university lecturers in the 1990s. Teach mwalimu! Little pay is better than no pay!