The teachers’ union has been at the forefront of raising the salary of new teachers after the non-cash collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was signed.
A proposed pay rise for primary and secondary school teachers will soon bear fruit after it was announced by the teachers’ union.
The Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) revealed what was discussed in several meetings between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the teachers union.
According to KNUT Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno, discussions on salary increment and other issues affecting teachers have been concluded.
“We had an interesting dialogue that ended on Friday and we successfully concluded the meeting with the TSC,” the teachers roused Otieno.
Otieno withheld information about the Commission’s proposal and the terms of the contract.
KNUT secretary general Collins Oyuu held a meeting with the board last week to discuss a potential deal that could lead to a pay rise later this month.
The union, together with the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (KUPPET), proposed in July 2016 a review of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for teachers, which does not include any material increase.
KNUT officials expressed hope that a review would be carried out to increase salaries, although the CBA does not include financial benefits.
“We will share information if necessary. According to Otieno, the entire republic will be aware of our conversation with the teacher’s service because the secretary general is alone.
Maternity and paternity leave is guaranteed for 90 to 120 days for female teachers and 14 to 21 days for male teachers in the CBA 2021-2025, which satisfies the teachers.
The CBA also mentions the promotion of teachers who work in arid and semi-arid areas (ASAL).
In a public speech after the signing of the 2021-2025 CBA, the CEO of TSC said that the CBA can be reviewed if the country’s economy improves.
According to the TSC, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s advisory opinion has prevented public sector teachers from raising their salaries (SRC).
Dr Nancy Macharia had earlier said that the SRC had “proposed not to re-evaluate the basic salary structure, allowances and allowances in the public sector for the financial year 2021/2022 to 2022/2023”.
KNUT is currently asking for a 15-20% wage increase, while Oyuu wants a revision of commuter and housing fees in line with rising inflation.
However, KUPPET wants the salary of the lowest paid teachers to rise from Ksh. 34,955 to Ksh. 59,425 and the salary of the highest paid teacher is an increase from Ksh. 118,242 to Ksh. 153,715.
In addition, the union wants to increase the commuting allowance for junior staff teachers from Kshs. 5000 to Kshs. 8,500 and for teachers who earn a maximum salary of Kshs. 16,000 Ksh. 20,000.
Teachers are now struggling with inflation, rising costs of living and reduced salaries, as elsewhere in Kenya, which has led to some suicides. For example, a primary school teacher in Kirinyaga District committed suicide.
An additional topic that was investigated was the motivation of elementary school teachers to teach in junior high schools and TPD training.
The board wants teachers to meet certain requirements to be placed in secondary schools.
KNUT also called for secondary school teachers who got C (plain) in KCSE to be allowed to teach in secondary schools.
The organization also discussed a proposal passed by Congress that would require teachers with advanced certification to advance.
In justifying his decision to implement professional development guidelines, the board argued that the previous method of recruiting teachers was ineffective due to the large number of teachers who graduated from different professions.
Lawmakers believe that graduate jobs should be given to teachers with diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorates.
TSC said it plans to use TPD as a teacher promotion mechanism and that secondary schools will be the only places where PTE teachers can be posted.
TSC states that primary school teachers must be teachers to teach at the secondary school level;
Be a Kenyan citizen
Being a P1 certificate holder;
a bachelor’s degree in education and at least two teaching certificates.
