KNUT, Transition Authority fight over nursery school teachers

Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion. [PHOTO: STANDARD]

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

NAIROBI, KENYA: A storm is brewing between Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and county governments over recruitment and payment of nursery school teachers.

Governors and Teachers Service Commission argue that the Constitution places management of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) under their control.

Senators have also backed governors’ push to have total control of all pre-primary institutions, including hiring and remunerating the teachers. And the struggle over who should control nursery school teachers took a new twist on Monday after Transition Authority chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi warned Knut to keep off the matter.

“I would like to issue a warning to Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion to keep out of this matter because he is wrong to say that TSC should be the employer of EDCE teachers,” said Wamwangi during a meeting with Ministry of Education officials.

“Wamwangi will understand what teachers are saying when the 60 days we have issued to TSC to register and recruit all ECDE teachers elapse. For now let him enjoy the talk,” Sossion told The Standard Tuesday.

Sossion said the union has already written to TSC to commence registration of all trained nursery school teachers and also requested gazettement of the scheme of service for the teachers.

“We do not want to argue the obvious. We know what the TSC Act and the Constitution say about ECDE teachers,” he said.

Some governors have launched a massive nursery teachers’ recruitment drive, even as TSC prepared a draft scheme of service complete with the teachers’ remuneration plan.

The commission has proposed that each teacher will draw a consolidated monthly salary of Sh20,000.

TSC secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni said Article 237 of the Constitution mandates the commission to recruit, deploy, remunerate, promote and discipline all registered teachers in public schools.

He said the Basic Education Act, which has aptly defined basic education to include pre-primary education, emphasises the position.

And to affirm his argument, Lengoiboni read Section 23 (1) of the TSC Act, which stipulates “The commission shall, in accordance with Article 237 of the Constitution be responsible for the registration of trained teachers in the teaching service”.

FULL-FLEDGED WAR

“Section 23 (2) of the same Act says that a person shall not engage in the teaching service unless he or she is registered as a teacher under the TSC Act,” he added.

Council of governors chairman Isaac Ruto said the Constitution cites pre-primary education and childcare facilities as some of the devolved services.

The Bomet Governor said a plain reading of the same shows governors should be in total control of the learning centres.

Senate committee chairman on Education and Information Mutahi Kagwe said it would be wrong for TSC to demand recruitment of the teachers. “Hiring and remuneration of these teachers must be done by county governments. TSC would only be of help in training, setting standards and disciplining the teachers hired by governors,” he said.

“This may degenerate into a full-fledged war with teachers because they also need professional growth which is not guaranteed by then county governments,” said Sossion while issuing the 60-day ultimatum.

He said qualified teachers already employed by county governors should all get appointment letters from TSC and asked the employer to immediately start the recruitment process.

“They have prepared a scheme of work so we want them to register the teachers and employ them,” he said.

TSC has requested some Sh4.8 billion to employ 24,000 nursery school teachers. Lengoiboni said due to financial constraints, each school would get one nursery teacher for a start.

Sossion said the law does not mandate county governments to discipline and promote teachers.