News
Teachers give 10-day strike ultimatum
Posted Monday, June 20 2011 at 22:30
Teachers on Monday gave the government 10 days to find money to employ contract teachers permanently.
They also want this year’s budgetary estimates re-adjusted to cater for the hiring of early childhood education teachers and payment of pension arrears for teachers who retired in 1997 without a salary increase.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) said learning would be paralysed on July 1 if the government ignored the ultimatum.
“Come July 1, there will be no going back and we shall proceed with a national strike,” Knut secretary general David Okuta Osiany said in Nairobi.
He said the government must honour an agreement it signed with the union on July 22, 2010 by hiring, on a full-time basis, 18,000 teachers recruited last year on contract.
“The agreement clearly states that these teachers must be absorbed on a permanent basis after one year. It is also very clear that employment of the contract teachers was strictly a stop-gap measure.
“We were shocked that this did not receive any mention in the budget estimates,” he said.
Mr Osiany said the government must employ a further 10,000 teachers to achieve the target of 28,000 by 2012 as stipulated in Vision 2030.
He called on Parliament, which under the new Constitution has powers to recommend budgetary re-allocations, to force the Finance minister to comply.
“We are urging MPs, through their parliamentary committees, not to authorise implementation of the Budget if the government does not set aside money to employ teachers,” he said.
He also complained about delays in mainstreaming early childhood education, which was scheduled for 2010, due to failure to hire teachers.
Knut chairman Wilson Sossion accused Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta of not allocating enough funds to cater for pension arrears for over 30,000 teachers.
Mr Kenyatta allocated only Sh3.3 billion towards payment of the more than Sh32 billion pension arrears.
“The ministries of Finance, Education, the TSC and Knut had agreed that these retired teachers be paid their arrears in two instalments, beginning on July 1, 2011. The last instalment would be paid by July 1, 2012,” he said.
He also urged Education minister Sam Ongeri to resign over the embezzlement of over Sh4.2 billion in free education funds.
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Submitted by yesuwanguPosted June 21, 2011 05:47 PM
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Submitted by si_cheki_ovyo_ovyo
Can they apply, with equal vigour, action against sex pests in our schools too?
Posted June 21, 2011 02:30 PM -
Submitted by spok
These guys are always at best when demanding for salary hikes, more teachers and even more teachers. Do you know what that means? More union dues which they eat with all impunity.
Posted June 21, 2011 01:27 PM -
Submitted by Geraldonyiego
What a shame! The government must honor the memorandum. It's high time, MPs should be taxed
Posted June 21, 2011 12:53 PM -
Submitted by athingathing
Teachers should not continue to threaten its employer every time.It must be understood that the nation is under tremendous financial stress.We are theirs bosses!You cannot force some of these issue by going on strick!We have teachers here in the United States and time and again the govt.has had to cut down on their structure and programs in line with the existing budget constraints.Why is this teacher body anable to work out with its employer some workable programs instead of threats all the time?
Posted June 21, 2011 12:48 AM
RSS
where will they get the money if 4billion was squandered or stolen.why cant they help to find those who stole the money for FPE first.why cant they press ongeri to and his deputy out of office.they only go on strike because of their own benefit and not because the poor childs FPE fund is squandered.this is selfishness.the poor children who need education cannot speak for himself.if their teachers are not bothered who will?