Kisii University don Dr Wrick Onsongo has warned the government against scraping teachers’ hardship allowances saying the move will negatively impact education in the country.
Speaking to Education News in Kisii town Dr Onsongo said that most teachers whose hardship allowances will be affected will be forced to transfer from those areas to their homes, hence leading to staffing imbalances that will disadvantage edecation progress in those affected regions.
“Some of these teachers working in hardship areas like North Eastern region are attracted by the allowance incentives given to them, but if such privileges will be removed, the teachers will abandon those areas and leave children to suffer.
He said that most teachers earn little salaries which cannot sustain their life unless they use their payslips to get loans from banks and keep on offsetting them gradually as they depend on hardship allowances for their upkeep. He added that if the money is stopped the teachers’ effective delivery in class will be demoralized.
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Saying that the hardship allowances of the affected teachers ranges between Ksh 6,000 and 10,000,Onsongo asked the government to increase it to shillings between Ksh 10,000 and 15,000 to help teachers make ends meet in during these economic constraints in the country.
He also encourages teachers to venture in others means of getting money like dairy, poultry farming and consultancy and use their loans as startup capital to invest in their land and other businesses.
“Teachers are the best job creator if they decide to do it, but they have chosen to rough shoulders with the government for salary increment in each year and this portrays a poor image of teaching professionally as a beggary one.” He said.
The don asked teachers to venture into online businesses like consultancy in guidance and counselling, marketing and general writing to earn more income without interfering with their class work.
By Enock Okong’o.
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