Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mr. Julius Migosi Ogamba has sent a passionate appeal to the striking teachers aligned to Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) to abandon the strike and go back to class as all their issues are being addressed.
The CS said the Government has released Sh13.5 billion to cater for payment of teachers’ July and August salary increments which was part of the contentious issues as well as Sh18.7 billion for employment of 46,000 intern teachers to Permanent and Pensionable (P & P) terms.
Migosi maintained that the Government has fully implemented the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2021 -2025 and appealed to the teachers to go back to class in order to alleviate further suffering on the part of the learners.
“We are fully engaging the Union officials on various issues raised by the teachers and as evidence of the Government’s good faith and commitment to address teachers’ concerns, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has worked round the clock to ensure that all public school teachers are paid their July and August salary raises by Friday this week. This is in implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), after the National Treasury released Sh13.5Billion for the same,” the CS stated.
The CS was speaking in Naivasha on Tuesday during the official opening of the 54th annual Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA) where some 2,000 Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) trainers who have been undergoing some induction were also posted to various TVETs around the country to help revamp the sector.
ATUPA is seeking to revolutionize Technical, Vocational Education and Training Institutions(TVETS) in Africa by embracing innovations for sustainable development.
Meanwhile, Migosi observed that from the reports that they have received from the field, learners continued to report to their respective schools for the third term.
He said this was attributable to the increased confidence among parents and guardians, following the decision by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to call off their intended strike.
“To restore full industrial harmony in the education sector, the Government is engaged in talks with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) and we are confident that these talks will result in KUPPET members returning to work, given that the Government has fully implemented the second phase of the CBA and the other administrative issues are being addressed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through an amicable, methodical and consultative manner,” he said.
Migosi noted that on Sunday for example, President Ruto announced the Government’s intention to employ an additional 20,000 teachers by the end of the year in order to ease the high teacher/student ratio in public schools.
The Government has also provided Sh18.7 billion for the conversion of intern teachers to Permanent and Pensionable status in January 2025.
“In effect, all the major issues that had prompted strike notices have either been addressed, or are lined up for decisive conclusion within short timelines. We therefore beseech those teachers that may not have resumed work to return to their work stations to prepare candidates for national assessments and examinations, while also ensuring that the syllabus for other classes is covered to facilitate smooth transition across the various levels of education,” he implored.
The CS remarked that as a new appointee, he has faced mounting challenges ranging from teacher union strike notice, Universities’ funding queries and disbursement of capitation funds to schools but assured the country that they were working round the clock to resolve all the issues.
To this end, Migosi committed to spearhead engagements with relevant authorities to iron out remaining issues to facilitate seamless learning both in public schools and higher institutions of learning.
The two giant teachers’ Unions; KNUT and KUPPET had issued strike notices to start on Monday midnight on the eve of schools’ reopening. But Knut backed off, calling off their strike at the eleventh hour, citing goodwill from the government to address their grievances.
The two Unions had planned to commence their strike on Monday over six issues, including the promotion of 130,000 teachers, absorption of 46,000 others on permanent and pensionable terms and remittance of statutory and loan deductions to the relevant statutory bodies.
Currently, the country has over 220,000 teachers employed in her public schools and nearly 60,000 of them mostly in secondary schools are members of KUPPET whose strike kicked off on Monday thus disrupting learning institutions.
By Mabel Keya – Shikuku
