Knut threatens strike over promotion of teachers

By James Mbaka

Kenya: Schools re-open today for the first term amid fresh threats for an industrial crisis in the education sector.

This is after a teachers union warned the Government against ignoring calls to promote teachers who have acquired higher grades on the basis that there were no funds.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has maintained that it was the right of any employee to get promoted to the next grade once he or she attains the necessary education grades are attained.

Sunday, three teachers branches from Kisii county affiliated to giant labour union warned that a major strike that would bring everything to a standstill was in the offing if the Government failed to honour the demands.

Led by Gucha branch secretary Sam Nyairo, the branch executives Shem Nyaundi(Kisii Central) and Charles Mokua(Kisii South) asked the Government to unconditionally meet the labour requirements by releasing funds to the Teachers Service Commission(TSC) to effect the promotions.

No funds

Knut Secretary General has also threatened that the teachers would down their tools if the promotions are not effected.

Nyairo accused Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi of being insensitive to the plight of teachers.

“It is ironic of the Government to insist that there are no funds to promote teachers who have toiled and worked extremely hard to deserve higher grades when it plans to invest massively on non-priority projects,” Nyairo said

He said failure to promote teachers would lead to job stagnation even when teachers had spent a fortune to further their education.

“It is a principle acknowledged worldwide that once an employee has attained higher grades, he/she deserves promotion to the next grade,” said Nyairo, who read the statement on behalf of the branches. He said the union would not hesitate to take necessary steps in ensuring that teachers get what is rightfully theirs

But Kaimenyi last week said the Government appreciated the efforts teachers make in furthering their studies, but regretted that there were no funds to effect promotions instantly.