The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) wants the renegotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) to be commensurate with the cost of living and workload.
KNUT wants the review of the 2021-2025 CBA to cushion teachers from the workload due to the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and other changes in the education sector.
Speaking in Mombasa KNUT National Chairman Patrick Munuhe during the 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the KNUT Kilindini branch, said a meeting has been scheduled with TSC to look into the CBA.
“We have taken the trajectory of addressing the teachers’ issues with the employer –TSC, and we have agreed on several issues that are going on.
Right now, we are in transition whereby we are getting more work as far as the changes and the reforms that are there in the Ministry of Education,” said Munuhe.
The KNUT Chairman said, because of the workload that comes with CBC they will be pushing for a pay rise through the review of the CBA.
“We are just asking 60 percent pay rise of our salaries because of the workload that has been added from what we have been having,” said the KNUT Chairman.
On the recruitment of teachers through internship Munuhe urged the government to first absorbed teachers recruited last year as interns on Permanent and Pensionable terms to motivate them.
“We have the interns who are being recruited at the moment yet we have our teachers who were recruited about a year ago and they haven’t been absorbed on Permanent and Pensionable,” said Munuhe.
On the ongoing anti-government demonstrations, Munuhe said schools cannot afford the disturbances urging the government to look for a lasting solution.
Jomvu MP Badi Twalib echoed the KNUT Chairman’s sentiments on the reviewing of the CBC.
“They signed when the economy was doing well, currently things are so hard. They should think about reviewing the CBA for it to suit the current economic situation and be of help to our teachers,” said Twalib.
The legislator advocated for the harmonization of Mombasa teachers’ house allowances to be in tandem with their Nairobi counterparts.
Twalib said the new regulations by TSC for Head Teachers and Principals to have degrees should not touch on experienced teachers who have served for many years.
“They should not introduce the requirement of head teachers to be degree holders. A head teacher who has served for 20 to 30 years has lots of experience,” said Twalib adding that volunteer teachers should be given priority by TSC when vacancies arise.
By Sadik Hassan
