Knut and Kuppet were insincere in their demands

Folks, kindly think again about the strike action by teachers. Here’s why.

On July 22 and July 26 last year, meetings were held between the ministries of Finance and Education on the one hand and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet) respectively on the other.

Among the five primary resolutions agreed on by these parties in signed statements, these stand out:

• The government shall undertake to recruit teachers on a contract term basis;
• That, should the government deem it necessary to employ teachers on permanent and pensionable basis, the teachers serving under the respective contracts of employment shall be given first priority;
• That, teachers so recruited under contract shall be at liberty to exercise their constitutional right, which shall include the right to join and participate in union activities; and,
• TSC (Teachers’ Service Commission) is hereby mandated to work out (sic) the modalities to facilitate the immediate implementation of the resolutions set out herein.

Why was this meeting convened? The two signed statements issued after the meeting are titled differently, but it is patently clear that the burning issue that was bringing together the unions and ministries was the recruitment of teachers.

One title reads: Statement of government and Kuppet on the recruitment of teachers on contract basis held at Treasury Building on July 26, 2010. The other (from Knut and government) says: Statement on the recruitment of teachers, July 22, 2010, held at Treasury Building.

Now, who signed these statements? Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Education minister Sam Ongeri signed both documents on behalf of the government. Mr Lawrence Majali (then secretary-general), Mr George Wesonga (chairman) and Mr Fred Ontere (treasurer) signed for Knut.

Kuppet chiefs Njeru Kanyamba (secretary-general), Akello Misori (chairman) and Mwethi Njenga (treasurer) signed for their organisation.

Under their own signatures, the ministers and Knut and Kuppet chiefs also made this important undertaking:

“The meeting took cognisance of the need to have open channels of frequent consultations in order to promote harmony in the education sector.”

The way I understand it, arising from these meetings the TSC hired 18,000 teachers on three-year contract basis in order to bridge the crippling 80,000 teacher deficit facing the country’s primary and secondary schools.

Again, the way I understand it, these 18,000 teachers were to be hired on a permanent and pensionable basis after serving out their three year contracts.

But one year into these contracts, the storm bursts and both Kuppet and Knut call out their members on strike.

Kuppet and Knut demand that government hires on a permanent and pensionable basis the thousands of teachers needed to bridge this shortfall and hire the 18,000 on contract on a permanent and pensionable basis before the strike can be called off.

When Mr Kenyatta and Prof Ongeri announced that the government would immediately embark on the recruitment of some 20,000 teachers on contract basis and committed itself to recruiting that number of teachers every year, Knut dismissed this offer as an insult.

Good people, I have said it many times before that my respect for teachers is absolute. I have also said that teachers are overworked and poorly paid and that they deserve better. I have also raised concern over the teacher-pupil ratio in public schools. May I add that I am proud to be a trained and practising teacher.

But having said that, and on account of the two agreements above, allow me to question the sincerity of Knut and Kuppet and, therefore, the popularity of the just-ended strike.

This strike was popular because teachers are overworked, have terribly huge classes to deal with and, therefore, the quality of education was compromised. When it comes to education, Kenyans, to a parent, draw the line at quality.

This strike was popular because MPs voted to take away money for hiring of teachers from the ministry of Education and gave it to the military and also shamelessly to themselves to pay for their tax arrears. Indeed, this was the trigger for the strike action.

But, remember, it is Kuppet and Knut which gave government the go-ahead to hire teachers on contract.

Did the unions notice, for example, that the agreements they signed could deny them revenue? Yes, teachers on contract, exercising their constitutional rights, could decide not to join the unions! Why has contract teaching become anathema 13 months after the unions embraced it?

Kwendo Opanga is a media consultant [email protected]