President Kenyatta moves to avert teachers' strike
President Kenyatta has moved to avert the looming teachers' strike by ordering the Education Ministry and two other bodies to enter into negotiations in a bid to resolve the matter.
In a statement, the President called for sobriety and dialogue between the teachers and the government in order to ensure that learning is not disrupted.
"I have today (Friday) directed the Cabinet Secretary Education, Science and Technology, and the Teachers Service Commission in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to immediately engage the Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers to discuss any outstanding issues,” President Kenyatta said.
"I expect the process to proceed expeditiously in order that no disruption to the learning of our children is occasioned,’ he said.
The President spoke as Knut chairman Wilson Sossion warned that teachers would begin the national strike any time next week if the government does not address their grievances.
He maintained that the union will only call off the strike if the government allocates Sh47 billion for payment of teachers allowances in the supplementary budget.
"If the government will not include the allowances in the teachers’ salaries for this month, we are going to handle the strike in a manner that it cannot imagine," he warned.
In his statement, President Kenyatta pleaded with teachers for understanding, saying the single largest allocation in the budget went towards education.
“The sector faces many challenges amongst which is lack of sufficient teaching staff. In the current budget before Parliament, my Government has made provision for the recruitment of 10,000 new teachers,” he stated.
Mr Sossion claimed that Treasury was under pressure from the World Bank not to employ new teachers to pave way for e-teaching in Kenyan schools through the introduction of the laptops for schools programme.
