By EN Reporter
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has suspended the September 1 strike after a meeting with Teachers Service Commission.
The two parties agreed to hold a five-day retreat between September 30 and October 5 to deliberate conclusively on grievances raised by the union.
Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion had issued an ultimatum to the teachers’ employer to drop some policies or the union calls strike at the beginning of third term that could have affected thousands of students set to sit for their national examinations. These were teacher delocalization, teacher appraisal and development, career progression, and promotions.
TSC through its communication officer Kamotho Kihumba said the talks were successful.
He said the issues under contention will be addressed in a conclusive and comprehensive manner during the retreat.
“The commission is committed to an amicable settlement of any issue affecting teachers in the course of their professional duties and wishes to most sincerely thank Knut leadership for the continued engagement over important professional issues,” Kihumba said.
Earlier, President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed the Ministry of Education to review the mass teachers’ transfers saying they were affecting family relations.
Following the successful talks 30,000 teachers are expected to get promotions while candidates can now rest as their preparations for the national exams will not be affected.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams will begin on October 30.
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations will begin on November 2. The last paper will be done on November 28.
