By Andanje Wakhungu
Deranged teachers have openly denounced The Standard Newspaper’s shouting headline on 9th July 2020, “TSC employed teachers shall enjoy their full pay while idle”.
The teachers said that such a headline, or any message to that effect or with such intent should be totally non admissible, not even during industrial action when teachers have withdrawn their services in a constitutionally protected industrial action.
The Kenya Union of Post- Primary Education (KUPPET) Kakamega, Secretary for Gender Leah Khasandi who led the onslaught on the publication said that Standard Media must guard its image by not playing a stranger to the global circumstances resulting from the Covid-19 contagion.
“The media shamelessly insinuates that the teachers’ esteemed employer, TSC shall be extending a favour by paying teachers who will be away from duty, teachers who are ‘IDLE’. Is this media house suggesting that teachers chose to be at home or teachers brought Covid-19 into the country, so that they enjoy some leave with full pay?” asked Khasandi.
The outspoken official reminded the media house that terms of employment of teachers are clear, and the circumstances that led to the closure of schools are equally succinct and beyond TSC or teachers control.
“No media or entity should therefore appoint itself a prefect of teachers during this period. Is it only teachers who are not on duty due to the world wide pandemic?” furious Khasandi asked.
She reminded the Standard’s author of the article as well as the editors that a good number of legislators in both National Assembly and the Senate who are senior citizens doing their 58th and above years have for long been exempted from attending their respective house sittings since the outbreak of Covid-19.
“I haven’t seen the standard newspaper equally run a shouting headline ostensibly to remind the PSC, or any other relevant commission, that some honourable members are idle, yet earning normally,” Said Khasandi.
She added that Standard media must abjure its reckless and misleading statements in this regard and tender apologies to the teachers of this count
