By Staff Reporter
Technical experts drawn from Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) are working in liaison with Teachers Service Commission (TSC) personnel to align teachers’ Leave Allowance.
This is in line with the newly introduced pay grades created during the implementation of the 2017/2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The enhanced allowance which was due to be paid out to teachers at the end of January 2018 will now be released to the affected 102,619 tutors at the end of February.
It will be effected after the SRC experts and Integrated Personnel Payroll Database System programmers are through with aligning the process.
Education News has further learnt that the aligning process which is nearing completion will see the Leave Allowance of the affected teachers raised by varying margins depending on the grade and scale the teacher is serving on.
However, it has been confirmed it will be paid with February salary as a one-off allowance.
The abrupt adjustment of Leave Allowance comes about after the Commission realized that teachers have been underpaid, and there was need to align the previous allowance application to the new teachers’ pay grades.
In a circular (Ref. No: TSC/DHRMD/14) dated January 25th, 2018 addressed to County Directors and Sub-county Directors, the Director – Human Resource Management and Development, Mrs Josephine Maundu admitted that the new pay grades for teachers are in conflict with the previous Job Groups.
“The Leave Allowance for teachers and other Civil Servants is paid as a one-off allowance every January. However, the recently created teachers’ CBA pay grades conflicted with the previous Job Groups.
“Subsequently, 102,619 teachers have been underpaid Leave Allowance. The anomaly will, however, be rectified in February 2018 payroll and arrears paid accordingly when the IPPD System Programmers align the Leave loading application to the teachers’ new pay grades,” said Maundu.
Reacting on the same, TSC Head of Communications, Kihumba Kamotho said the Commission regrets that teachers have been underpaid Leave Allowance as a result of the new pay grades created during the implementation of the 2017/2021 CBA.
“The technical personnel are already working to align the earlier Leave Allowance application to the new teachers’ pay grades in order to correct the technical error.
“The Commission undertakes to correct the anomaly in the February payroll and pay the correct rates together with the arrears accruing from the January underpayment. TSC wishes to most sincerely apologise to the 102,619 affected teachers for any inconvenience,” said Kamotho.
Going by the new pay grades implemented under the 2017/2021 CBA, the lowest paid teacher, Primary Teacher II in Grade B5 at TSC-Scale 5 (formerly Job Group ‘G’) will now pocket Sh4,000 as Leave Allowance. Also to earn Sh4, 000 as Leave Allowance are Secondary Teacher III, Lecturer III and Primary Teacher I all who are in Grade CI at TSC-Scale 6.
Primary Teacher II currently earn Sh24,250 per month rising to a maximum of Shs27,195, while tutors in Grade CI earn Sh31,956 rising to a maximum of Sh33,994 per month.
Teachers in Grade C2 (TSC-Scale 7), C3 (TSC-Scale 8), C4 (TSC-Scale 9) and C5 (TSC-Scale 10) will earn Shs6, 000 as Annual Leave Allowance.
These include: Senior Teacher II, Special Needs Teacher – Primary, Lecturer II, Secondary Teacher II UT Graduate, Secondary Teacher II, Senior Teacher I, Special Needs Teacher – Secondary, Senior Special Needs Teacher – Primary, Lecturer I, National Trainer –CEMASTEA, ICT Programme Co-ordinator – CEMASTEA, and Secondary Teacher I.
Others are: Deputy Head Teacher II, Senior Special Needs Teacher – Secondary, Senior Teacher SNE (Primary), Senior Lecturer IV, Senior Master IV, Deputy Head Teacher I, Head Teacher, Senior Master – SNE (Post-primary), Senior Lecturer III and Senior Master III.
Teachers in Grade D1 (TSC-Scale 11), D2 (TSC-Scale 12), D3 (TSC-Scale 13), D4 (TSC-Scale 14) and D5 (TSC-Scale 15) will pocket a whopping Shs10, 000 as Annual Leave Allowance every January.
Grade D1 to D5 comprises Senior Lecturer II, Senior Head Teacher, Deputy Principal IV, Senior Master ll, Senior Lecturer I, Senior Master I, Deputy Principal lll, Deputy Principal II, Principal, Deputy Principal I, Senior Principal and Chief Principal.
Teachers employed on permanent and pensionable terms are entitled to 42-day Annual Leave with full pay. The Annual Leave is taken during school holidays, and is not accumulated to be carried forward from year-to-year.
