It was a relief for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers, who have been pushing to be absorbed as permanent staff of the county government, after they were issued letters confirming their new status by Siaya Governor James Orengo.
ECD teachers from Centers across all six sub-counties of Siaya were hosted at the governor’s headquarters in Siaya Town in an event that marked the end of a long-standing tussle between them and the County Government.
The Governor emphasized the importance of ensuring that the ECD teachers are well-remunerated and motivated by better terms of service and a service scheme, despite the financial challenges faced by the county.
“Rather than give Orengo an addition to his salary, let’s collect that money and give that money to ECD teachers,” he said.
“As a government, we are facing a challenge in the stipulations regarding the wage bill, but we have to prioritize our ECD teachers,” Orengo added.
602 ECD teachers were issued confirmation letters to the new terms of service on Tuesday by the county boss as a culmination of engagements that have spanned nearly a decade.
Previously, all the teachers were entitled to a uniform pay of Sh22,626 regardless of qualifications or duration of service. However, with the new terms, all certificate holders will be paid a gross monthly salary of Sh23,853, while diploma holders will get Sh33,906, and degree holders will make a gross monthly salary of Sh43,470 per month.
“My administration will also continue improving their working environment by putting up more infrastructure in our learning institutions,” said Orengo.
CEC for Education Dr. Edgar Otumba said that there are plans to further address the problems faced by the ECD centers and better equip the existing ones to enable E-Learning.
By Calvin Otieno
