The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) through its National Chairman Patrick Karinga Munuhe has called for an increase of teachers’ salaries by at least 60 per cent.
Speaking in Mombasa during the annual general meeting for the union’s Kilindini branch, Munuhe said teachers in the country have a huge workload and this is expected to increase as schools prepare for grade 8 enrolments next year as per the new Competency Based Curriculum.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA) who reported that teachers are likely to have a heavy workload than what they used to have before.
“Proposals from the presidential working party on education say that we shall have a comprehensive school that will run from ECDE up to grade 9.
That’s why we are asking our employer the TSC to re-look at our 2021 – 2025 CBA.
We are just asking for a 60 percent pay rise for our teachers because of the work that has been added to their current workload,” said Munuhe.
Munuhe revealed that the Union has through their secretary general Collins Oyuu in previous engagements been asking for a review of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 2021 – 2025and that they had issued a notice for TSC to convene a meeting with them over the matter.
He confirmed that they wrote to TSC and their employer replied setting a date for discussions that could have happened this week if not for the planned three-day nationwide demonstrations called by the opposition.
“I can confirm to you that we are in good terms with our employer, and we could have met in the course of this week, but because of the ongoing demos we will have to wait,” Munuhe said.
At the same time, he called on the government to ensure the safety of teachers and learners as he condemned the closure of public schools in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kisumu Counties over the Azimio demonstrations on Wednesday.
He called for the government and opposition to look for an amicable solution without interfering with the learning of children in the country.
“We cannot be having our pupils not going to school, this makes our teachers uncomfortable too because the chaos and bonfires on the streets hinder them from getting to schools and also threatens their safety and security,” he said.
By Vostine Ratemo
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