Kenya national exams will go on as scheduled, insists State

The Government has insisted that the national examinations will go on as scheduled despite the current standoff that has seen teachers down their tools.

Students sitting their KSCE exam. The Government has insisted that the national examinations will go on as scheduled despite the strike. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Third term learning in public institutions has been paralysed, but Senior Director of Public Communication at State House Munyori Buku urged parents to take their children to school.

Mr Buku said sufficient security arrangement has been made with relevant state agencies and no parent should fear for the safety of learners.

"Teachers have been served with circulars asking them to be in school and ensure that learning resumes," he said in a statement to newsrooms.

Teacher Service Commission (TSC) maintains that the strike contravenes laws and noted that teachers risk losing their jobs.

But teachers have argued that their salaries are not in harmony with that of other civil servants but the government has dismissed this as malicious and misleading.

Yesterday, the government argued that if the pay hike is implemented, it will distort the equity in remuneration compared to other civil servants of comparable qualifications. Further, the government says that awarding such increase will have far reaching effects on the economy.

"In 2009 the Government harmonised the teachers' basic pay with those of other public officers. This harmonisation process was completed in 2012. Currently, teachers' basic pay is the same as that of civil servants of the same grade," read part of the statement.

In order to achieve that, the government says that it will have to raise the value added tax from the current 16 per cent to 21 per cent. Further, the government says that it may resort to increased borrowing and reducing its expenditure on development projects. It says that such measures will increase the cost of living, slow down economic growth and make Kenya less competitive.

"Implementing the salary increment will raise the public wage bill by Sh154.6 billion from the current Sh624.6 billion in 2015/2016 financial year to an estimated Sh779.2 billion," added Buku.