Stakeholders urge private school directors to pay teachers' salaries during holidays

Stakeholders in the education sector have urged private school directors to ensure that teachers continue receiving their salaries during school holidays, saying the educators have families to support and financial obligations to meet even when schools are closed.

Led by Lawi Wangashindu, the stakeholders called on private school owners to stop withholding teachers' salaries during holidays and to ensure that no teacher is left without an income during the school break.

Addressing the press, they said teachers often face financial hardship during holidays because some private schools do not pay them when learners are away, leaving them struggling to meet basic needs such as rent, food and school fees for their own children. "You cannot preach love to children while starving the teachers who teach them," the stakeholders said.

They criticised school directors who send teachers home in December without salaries but later expect them to return to carry out duties such as cutting grass, sweeping compounds and marketing their institutions without transport or allowances. "You send teachers home in December with no salary. No rent. No food. No school fees for their own children. Then you call them back during the holidays to slash grass, sweep compounds and walk in the sun to market your school, with no transport and no allowance," they said. "That is not employment. That is exploitation."

The stakeholders also appealed to faith-based private schools to uphold principles of fairness, justice and the payment of workers, noting that many institutions display Bible verses on their walls while, in their view, failing to provide adequate support to their employees. "The Bible you put on your school wall says it clearly: 'Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight' (Leviticus 19:13). 'The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you' (James 5:4). 'The worker deserves his wages' (Luke 10:7)," they said. They argued that schools should not expect divine blessings while benefiting from what they described as unpaid labour. "You cannot ask God to bless a school built on unpaid labour. God is watching," they said.

The stakeholders further maintained that teachers should not be treated as employees whose services are only valuable when learners are in school, insisting that their welfare must remain a priority throughout the year. "A teacher is not a subscription you pay only when you need them. If they work for you, you must pay them for 12 months, not eight," they said. They urged private school owners to recognise that teachers have families and responsibilities that continue during school holidays. "Pay your teachers. Stop the abuse. Pay teachers during holidays. They have families to care for. Be humane," they said.

The call comes amid renewed concerns over teachers' welfare in the private education sector, particularly the financial difficulties educators may face during extended school breaks. The stakeholders said fair and consistent payment of salaries would help protect teachers' dignity, improve their welfare and promote a more supportive learning environment for pupils.