Teachers reject proposed service plans

By STANDARD TEAM

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Meru branch has opposed plans to have teachers serve in more than one school in a bid to reduce teacher shortage in the country.

Speaking during the Imenti North District Education Day, Secretary Julius Mbijiwe noted that the current serious understaffing means teachers are already overworked.

“We have heard of plans to give teachers more lessons in the name of utilising them. This is not utilising teachers but misusing them,” said Mbijiwe.

Meanwhile, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Meru Branch Secretary Caxton Miungi accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of changing goal posts on employment of more teachers despite acute shortage.

In Murang’a County, Knut announced it has embarked on a campaign to demand its members living in major towns to be paid hardship allowance.

Elsewhere, Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu has supported a call by teachers’ unions to increase the number of teachers set to be employed from 10,000 to 40,000.

At the same time Kuppet has welcomed the appointment of 47 county directors of education by the TSC. Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori said the union backed the appointment and was looking forward to a cordial working relationship with them.

Addressing a meeting in Kisii, Misori lauded TSC for decentralising its services to the counties.

Kuppet has also told MPs to stop forcing them to sign performance contracts.

Speaking in Kisumu and Nyamira at the weekend, Mr Misori and Treasurer Edward Obwocha challenged the MPs, too, to sign performance contracts with voters.

Hardship
And teachers serving in hardship areas within Kericho County are up in arms over TSC’s withdrawal of hardship allowances yet schools they were serving in are in areas classified as hardship areas.

—Report by Grace Wekesa, Patrick Muthuri, Boniface Gikandi, Kenan Miruka, Kepher Otieno, Naftali Makori and Peter Mutai