Pay us well in the journey of transforming education, Kenyan teachers have told the new government of President William Ruto.
Marking the World Teachers’ Day on October 5, Kenya’s two leading teacher unions KNUT and KUPPET have listed a number of demands, top among them commensurate remuneration, saying their workload has increased under the new Competence-based Curriculum (CBC).
“Teachers are among the lowest paid cadres in the public service,” said the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) in a statement to mark the Day.
According to the union, headed by Akelo Misori as secretary general and Omboko Milemba as chairman, said their members have no study leave and their house allowances “are fixed on arbitrary geographical zones.”
At a time many workers were returning to school for master’s and PhD qualifications, KUPPET said teachers’ higher academic qualifications “do not result in automatic job progression”.
Kenyan media have reported cases of PhD holders who are teaching in primary schools and earning same salaries, years after acquiring the top degree that has been a ticket to higher roles such as university teaching.
The union added that “our main grievance is of course the financial compensation for teachers,” adding the tough prevailing economic conditions have delivered a pay cut to the teaching fraternity at a time the workload was getting heavier.
KNUT secretary general Collins Oyuu asked the government to pay teachers a salary “commensurate to (sic) the work they do to motivate them to work optimally and realise their full potential”.
On the Teachers’ Day theme of “Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers”, Mr Oyuu asked the State to revamp infrastructure by building classrooms, libraries, internet connectivity, and connecting all schools to electricity and supply computers.
KNUT asked the State to employ 70,000 teachers to both primary and secondary schools to address shortage and increased workload under the CBC plan that is now under review after President Ruto formed a 42-member task force headed by Prof Raphael Munavu.
When Covid-19 hit Kenya in March 2020 and schools got closed for nine months, teachers resorted to online teaching, a step that was dependent on internet and power connectivity.
According to KUPPET, since Covid hit the world, sending more than 1.6 billion students out of various learning institutions, teachers employed “determined and diligent” efforts to sustain education across the world.
Educational International, the global federation of teachers and other education workers, teachers deserve more than thank-yous and applause.
The global body of 32 million teachers said tutors are “overworked, underpaid, and undervalued,” something that has seen experienced tutors leave the profession without replacement.
“A more just, inclusive, democratic, and sustainable future is impossible without a clear and meaningful commitment to education,” EI said in a statement.
