School reopening thrown into doubt
Joseph Kanyi | Nation
Students wait to board a matatu back to school at a terminus in Nyeri on September 04, 2011. The teachers’ union has called a strike for September 06, 2011 to protest the government’s failure to hire more instructors.
What you need to know:
- Education officials call crisis meeting with Treasury in last-ditch effort to avert teachers’ strike
Confusion reigned on Sunday over the re-opening of schools for the third term after teachers refused to call off a strike over staffing shortages.
This came as top Education officials called a crisis meeting with the Treasury on Monday morning in last-ditch effort to avert the strike starting Tuesday.
Education PS James ole Kiyiapi said they would discuss, among other things, permanent employment of 18,000 contract teachers.
New teachers
“The union needs to understand we are reading from the same script on this one, and there is no need to cause a crisis in our schools by proceeding with the strike,” Mr Kiyiapi said.
He said it might be difficult to employ 10,000 new teachers as proposed by Parliament’s Budget Committee and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut).
“Conversion of the employment status of the 18,060 teachers may be possible and will cost about Sh4 billion,” he said.
But Knut chairman Wilson Sossion said they would only call off the strike if 28,000 teachers were employed. ( READ: Teachers issue seven-day strike notice)
“We will accept nothing short of that,” he said. “If these minimum conditions are not met, then we are left with no choice but to proceed with the strike.”
Mr Sossion said the Budget Committee had recommended that Sh5.5 billion be set aside for hiring more teachers.
The Teachers Service Commission says it has a shortage of 75,000 teachers in public schools. Knut deputy secretary general Xavier Nyamu said parents were supporting the union’s stand.
“The government had promised to employ teachers to deal with a shortage and even though funds had been set aside, those plans were overturned by Parliament,” he said.
In Siaya, branch officials asked members not to report to work on Monday.
“It is the Knut executive branch that called for the strike and unless you get communication from Knut cancelling the same, it is still on,” said branch chairman Alex Dunga.
This was also the message from Suba, Homa Bay, Kisii and Kakamega, Laikipia and Nakuru Knut branches.
