Members of Kenya National Union of Teachers, the Trade Unions Congress of Kenya, Kenya National Union of Nurses and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions on September 9 joined hands in solidarity during a rally at Uhuru Park, Nairobi. PHOTO | GERALD ANDERSON
What you need to know:
Striking teachers were on Wednesday warned against harassing their counterparts in private schools where learning is ongoing.
The TSC gave school heads and their deputies 14 days to defend themselves after being served with disciplinary letters for absenteeism.
The Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino also said that “stern action” would be taken against teachers who breach the law during their demonstration.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has started issuing disciplinary letters to 5,000 heads of public schools over the ongoing strike, as police warned the tutors to observe ‘no-go zones’ during their protests.
The teachers, who Wednesday held a rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, were warned against harassing their counterparts in private schools where learning is ongoing.
The beginning of the third term in public schools has been paralysed since Monday last week as teachers push for implementation of a 50-60 per cent pay rise or a Sh1.4 billion increment per month as directed by the courts.
The teachers’ employer, TSC, which is against the pay rise, on Wednesday said that school heads and their deputies will have 14 days to defend themselves after being served with disciplinary letters for absenteeism.
“All teachers in substantive or acting administrative positions were directed to be on duty at all times to ensure order, safety of learners and preservation of school property,” TSC chair Lydia Nzomo said, adding that about 5,000 school heads had breached the code of regulations for teachers.
School heads are classified as administrative staff. Others holding similar positions include heads of departments and senior teachers.
The code of regulations for teachers states that: “In the event of a strike or any other disturbances leading to a stoppage of school work, the administrative staff of the school shall continue to undertake such duties, as are necessary to ensure the safety and security of school property and to safeguard the welfare of learners.”
Dr Nzomo has in the past days said the striking teachers risk not being paid for the days they have not taught.
Several parents have faulted the learning paralysis, calling for the TSC and the Treasury to find a solution to the strike.
Economists say the man-hours lost and the learning paralysis would deal a blow on the economy.
“We need a long-term solution to the now ubiquitous teachers’ strikes if the country is to remain on the socio-economic growth path,” said Kwame Owino, the CEO of the Institute of Economic Affairs.
He said that education is a powerful tool for bridging Kenya’s gaping socio-economic gap and thus any interruption, most often at low-cost public schools, slows down the quest.
The Kenya Police spokesman Charles Owino also said on Wednesday that “stern action” would be taken against teachers who breach the law during their demonstration.
“Storming and interruption is illegal,” he said. “For example, storming of private schools or other related institutions is illegal, storming of boarding schools where children are undertaking their studies, even public schools where children could be studying on their own.”
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have maintained that teachers would only head back to class after a pay increase.
But Treasury secretary Henry Rotich says the Sh1.4 billion increment per month or Sh17 billion per year, had not been budgeted for.
He says that there are three “unpalatable” options to raise the extra cash for the 288,060 teachers including increasing taxes, borrowing from the domestic market or cutting budgeted expenditure.
But Mr Rotich thinks all would have negative effects on the economy.
On Wednesday Education secretary Jacob Kaimenyi supported TSC’s move to take disciplinary action against the striking teachers.
“I‘m in support of the TSC’s directive that teachers go back to school and teach because they are participating in an unprotected strike and when you participate in an unprotected strike, it means TSC must do what it is mandated to do,” he said in a separate press briefing in Nairobi.
The teachers employers on Tuesday moved to withdraw an appeal filed at the Supreme Court in the ongoing pay dispute, drawing the ire of the tutors’ union.
TSC has written to the Supreme Court seeking to terminate the appeal filed last week, after the highest court in the land ruled that the government should raise teachers’ pay, pending determination of yet another ongoing case at the court of appeal.
But Knut has contested the TSC’s move, and now wants the application heard.
The teachers’ lobby says the reasons for withdrawal are a direct attack on the Supreme Court, and that agreeing to strike out the case will be supporting TSC’s assault on the judges.
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