State releases Sh5.3b for free education

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

The Government has released Sh5.3 billion for free education even as teachers threatened a nationwide strike starting next week.

Education PS James ole Kiyiapi said Friday the cash would be in primary and secondary schools accounts next week.

Prof Kiyiapi confirmed that the ministry was aware of the strike notice and said they are engaging stakeholders to avert it. Last night, The Standard On Saturday learnt that the Treasury had summoned top Teachers Service Commission (TSC) accountants.

Kiyiapi said out of the cash released, Sh3.62 billion would be disbursed to cater for Free Day Secondary Schools. Each student will receive some Sh736 for tuition and another Sh1, 308 to facilitate operations.

He added that Sh1.73 billion would go towards Free Primary Education. Each pupil will receive Sh932 for tuition and another Sh94 for operations. But in a quick rejoinder, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) dismissed the funds allocation terming the move a ‘non-issue.’

"The issue at hand now is employment of teachers and that is the dispute we have registered with the Government," said national chairman, Wilson Sossion.

He said the Government had misplaced priorities and teachers have vowed not to let it continue messing the education sector.

"Will timely disbursement of the cash address the rising cost of food and the cash crunch biting schools today?" posed Sossion.

He was speaking at Knut Nairobi branch offices, Nairobi, where he vowed to mobilise parents to demonstrate next week.

Knut branch executive secretary Hesbon Otieno said they would mobilise students and other willing partners to protest against the deteriorating education standards.

"It will be the mother of all strikes. Nairobi will lead the fight," Mr Ephraim Muregi, the branch chairman told the Press. Also present was branch treasurer, John Mbate.

The union indicated that in 2007, the Government committed to a five-year education plan in its Vision 2030, to employ teachers and bridge the deficit.

"That plan would see them employ some 10,000 teachers each year from 2007 to 2012. This is 2011 and nothing has happened. This can not continue," he said.

Kiyiapi, however, said that the ministry would engage teachers on Monday to avert the strike. Knut issued a seven-day strike notice that elapses on Monday midnight.

"The minister and I are out of the country. But the issues they are raising are genuine and we will engage them on Monday or Tuesday," he said.

But Sossion said they would only negotiate with the Government on ‘our terms.’ "We are ready to negotiate. But it must be on our terms," he said.

If the talks succeed yield, this would be the second time the Government would avert a teachers’ strike over employment this year.

Last month, the Treasury convened a consultative meting between Knut, TSC, and Ministry of Education officials over omission of teacher employment funds.

The funds were to convert about 18,000 teachers on contract to permanent terms and employ an additional 10,000.

After a raft of meetings, the union accepted to call off the strike subject to reallocation of funds to employ teachers.

As a result, the Budget Committee last month proposed that some Sh5 billion be allocated to TSC to employ teachers.

The proposal brought to Sh7.4 billion, the money for the employment of teachers because it is in addition to Sh2.4 billion that the Finance Minister had allocated to the Ministry of Education for the hiring of teachers on contract.

However, reports that Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta lobbied MPs to pass the Appropriations Bill without these funds infuriated teachers, prompting them to issue a seven-day notice for industrial action.