The relationships between Junior Secondary School Teacher (JSS) and the Head of institutions, (HOIs) has not been cozy due to the capitation crisis in the primary schools, where some head teachers continue to remain adamant in providing for teachers catering welfare even though ministry has made it available.
In the recent research made by Educaction News, it was confirmed that a JSS teacher has to pay for his or her tea and lunch for the five teaching days even as the Ministry of Education (MoE) continues to release capitation fees to public primary and secondary schools including comprehensive institutions to cater for this.
Part of these funds are Ksh 1,050 allocated for the catering for a pupil in the primary section per year, leaving the JSS teachers as newcomers in the learning institutions to fend for themselves while on duty for the academic year.
For the elevated HOIs administering graduates and Diploma holders in Comprehensive Institutions, it does not matter for the JSS tutor to have the meals so long as they are in class performing the duties in accordance to the hiring regulations of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
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According to the normal school teaching schedule, the teachers are expected to be in class for the official hours whether he/she had gone for a bite for the 10, 1 and 4 O’clock breaks, state some of the newly-employed JSS teachers are yet to be conversant with the local environment in terms of food chain supply.
Customarily, each school management has its own feeding programme for both students and the teaching staff, so that the latter don’t get exhausted in search for meals, a move that is likely to interfere with the study timetable.
There have been reported cases of interrupted syllabuses after most of the time is spent by teachers seeking food outside school with the HOIs directing their anger toward the newly deployed JSS teachers.
With the introduction of the capitation fees, most schools have found solace in financing the teachers’ meals but with other HOIs staying adamant that the funds are strictly meant for the core activity of learning activities.
‘’ This has caused bad blood between the head teachers and the JSS teachers. The relationship is so strained that there is no seeing eye-to eye between these two sides”, said source in Trans Nzoia County who requested to remain anonymous adding the situation was affecting learning across schools.
The capitation money, according to the MoE, is inclusive of the structural development, learning and the provision of catering for both the learners and the teachers.
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A research carried out in most of the over 400 Comprehensive Institutions in Trans Nzoia, there is growing rifts between headmasters and the JSS teachers where the latter have been put in the dark over the use and the management of the capitation fees. So serious is the situation that some of the teachers have disrespected their bosses resulting into numerous disciplinary cases being referred against them.
While the boards of management of the schools have supported the HOIs for the action, the JSS teachers have considered the action against them as selective because of being academically superior to the rest of the teaching staff.
On the other hand, HOIs and teachers handling Grades 7, 8, and 9 are looked down upon as staff with lesser qualifications compared to the JSS teachers.
A source said the head teachers have formed an association to guard against the ‘’proliferation’’ of the force and influence of the JSS teachers in the county, where the HOIs have vowed to contain the movement before it spreads countywide.
Confusion reigned as the representatives of the JSS teachers moved from the KUPPET and KNUT offices in Kitale to draw the attention of the trade movement officials to no avail.
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While both unions said they will only move in once they ascertained the membership of the teachers, the representative called on the MoE to intervene and stop the harassment against them.
For example, they called for the separation of the MoE funding to be limited between the JSS sections and to the primary school levels in each institution.
They said the age gap of HOIs and the JSS teachers was too wide and ought to abridge adding that as stakeholders in the development of the curriculum and schools they should be involved in the management of the learning institutions.
The JSS representative called for the review of calibration of the members of the BoMs to match the element of their degrees. “How can a Form 4 drop-out on the board of management be questioning a graduate teacher?’’ they asked.
They said they are conducting recruitment exercises to join the KUPPET and vowed to contest the various seats in the forthcoming union’s Trans Nzoia elections set for February 2026 to cater for the interests of the JSS category.
BY ABISAI AMUGUNE
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