Deputy President William Ruto has waded into the debate on the contentious health insurance cover for teachers, urging them to critically assess available options before making a choice.
Addressing secondary school heads gathered in Mombasa yesterday, Mr Ruto said the Government was committed to reforming universal healthcare for all Kenyans and pitched for the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
He also called for a radical revision of the education curriculum with a view to reducing emphasis on examinations. The DP further warned school heads against hiking fees and said the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) should be directed to financing infrastructure development in public schools across the country.
On the explosive issue of medical cover, he said it was good for teachers to enjoy a robust medical scheme. He said NHIF had enhanced contributions with the aim of increasing and expanding access.
But the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) maintained there would be no reverse gear on the scheme. Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said members would benefit from the Sh5.6 billion medical scheme even as the rival union opted out.
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) last week moved to court to bar the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from deducting its members' medical allowance to finance the scheme.
Employment Court judge Monicah Mbaru granted orders barring TSC from deducting or interfering with Kuppet members' salaries or medical allowances.
Teachers are set to be deducted between Sh900 and Sh4,000 to finance the TSC scheme.
Mr Sossion said the TSC scheme was a culmination of years of talks between the two unions and the teachers' employer.
"There is nothing like two or three medical schemes. NHIF is a failed scheme. We have been there before but we have never benefited from it," said Sossion.
COMMON STAND
He asked teachers to take time to understand the scheme.
"What teachers have been fed on so far is propaganda and contradictory information. This scheme is the best thing that teachers ever got and they shall know that by July when it is rolled out," said Sossion.
Ruto spoke after the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) National Chairman John Awiti asked the two teachers' unions to take a common stand regarding the medical scheme. He also asked teachers to take time to understand the medical schemes.
Addressing the over 7,000 secondary school heads yesterday, the DP welcomed the move by TSC to competitively recruit secondary school principals.
"It is good if TSC has an objective, transparent and predictable criteria for promoting teachers. A process that brings forward the best men and women to run institutions," said Ruto.
TSC chairperson Lydia Nzomo had said all principals' positions will henceforth be advertised and candidates vetted before they are hired.
"We shall start with national schools and cascade it to the rest of the schools," said Dr Nzomo.
The DP said competent persons must manage schools and asked the teachers to stick to the set fees guidelines.
Teachers had announced their support for the job evaluation exercise being undertaken by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
FEES ARREARS
Ruto also said no school should withhold certificates of any student over fees arrears.
"We have increased capitation to schools and by 2017, all day schools shall be completely free," he said.
He instructed Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to liaise with his Treasury counterpart Henry Rotich to ensure the timely annual release of free education cash to school.
