Promotions: Top teachers' Sh100b demands to Ruto

KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu (second-left) addresses the press after the union's annual delegates conference in Kisumu. [Michael Mute, Standard] Teachers have pitched a Sh100 billion demand to President William Ruto's government to promote tutors who have stagnated in one job group for long and also harmonise salaries. The announcement was made Wednesday during the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Annual Delegates Conference in Kisumu. Knut and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) also released a list of issues that want addressed by the government. Among the issues are promotion of nearly 10,000 teachers whom union officials said have stagnated over the years and upgrading tutors who have acquired higher qualifications. Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 2014 suspended promotion of teachers who had attained higher qualifications. The unions also want the rollout of the contentious Teacher Professional Development (TPD) stopped and priority given to training of teachers to implement the new curriculum. Also on top on the demands list is a consideration by the TSC to deploy teachers who scored grade C (plain) in national examinations to teach in secondary schools. TSC only hires those who scored C+ to teach in high schools. Knut and Kuppet want MPs not to interfere with TSC's role in the planned recruitment of the 35,000 teachers. The biggest demand, however, is the call by the two unions for the government to allocate Sh100 billion to improve terms and condition for the more than 300,000 teachers. Speaking during the meeting, Collins Oyuu of Knut and Akello Misori of Kuppet said all past three regimes had given teachers something to take home and called on Kenya Kwanza government to also play its part. The unions said that in 1997, President Daniel Moi gave teachers a salary increment of between 150-200 per cent that was implemented in 16 years through legal notice number 534. In 2003, the unions argued that President Mwai Kibaki gave teachers sh17 billion which was used to harmonise teachers' salaries with other cadres in government. And in 2016/17, Knut and Kuppet said President Uhuru Kenyatta gave teachers Sh54 billion which that said led to substantive appointment of all administrative teachers. "We now need Sh100 billion to make sure everything is ok. This will ensure that the yawning pay disparity between classroom teachers and administrators if addressed," said Akello Misori, Kuppet Secretary General. Addressing the Knut meeting, Misori added: "This money shall also address the issue of stagnation where many teachers have remained in one group for many years and improve terms and condition for all teachers." Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Mochogu, however, brushed-off the new demands terming them unrealistic. In a speech read on his behalf by Nelson Sifuna, Nyanza Regional Education officer, Machogu said teachers should bear in mind that the country's economy is in dire straits. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Mochogu. [File, Standard] "I call upon your leaders to be realistic in reading the signs of the day, consult widely and ensure that all deliberations have the learners' interests at heart, I'm sure we will reach an agreement and move on as a country," Machogu said. The CS said teachers should consult widely and ensure their deliberations have the learners' interest at heart. Misori, however, said that the government promised to improve teachers terms. "This government during campaigns said that in addition to hiring more teachers, they will pay us well. We now need the money to improve teachers' terms of conditions," said Misori. Oyuu said: "We have reached our irreducible minimum and our issues must be addressed." The leadership of the two unions united to drop the bombshell just days to the end of the year. "They year 2023 will not be an easy one for the government. The 2016/2021 CBA was not completely administered. You owe us money," Misori said in reference to stalled promotions. Oyuu said the promotion policy which is an extract of the 2017-2021 CBA and entrenched in the Career Progression Guideline (CPG) shifted from how it used to be in the three schemes of service to performance-based promotion and Appraisal mode. "This policy has disadvantaged many of our teachers who have acquired higher education qualifications. We have recommended to the presidential working party that the CPG should be reviewed to capture promotions upon attainment of higher qualifications, merit and experience. The employer can also use this opportunity to place teachers to teach Grades 7-9 in the implementation of CBC," Oyuu said. Misori said that according to labour practice and the Employment Act, no one can act for six months. "You must give us these promotions. And we shall not take it lightly. We are not going to take it lying low that education matters are taken lightly," Misori said. Oyuu also said the union will push for the 60 per cent salary demand that will see the salary of least paid teacher (job group B5) increase from Sh27, 195 to Sh43, 513. If implemented, the highest paid teachers (job group D5) will have their salaries increase from Sh157,656 to Sh252, 249. Oyuu said In July 2021 the Unions in the public sector signed a cashless CBA out of the advice by Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for non-monetary CBAs due to the effects of Covid-19 on the country's economy. "Due to this fact we have made a demand for a 60 per cent salary increment across the board," Oyuu said. To push their agenda, the two union officials said they had started talks to bring all the teachers unions under one confederation. "We are in discussions to bring all teachers under one confederation so that we can shoot from one point. We are on top gear to unite as teachers' union so that no union shall be left behind. We shall use collective voice to address teachers' issues," said Oyuu.

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