Govt Addresses Payment Concerns of Exam Markers and Contractors
The government has provided assurances to examiners who marked the 2022 examinations in Kenya that they will receive their payments before the end of the current financial year, which is June 30th.
This statement was made by Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, who stated that the government is working towards ensuring that teachers who participated in the marking of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in January will receive their dues.
Dr. Kipsang made these comments during the Kieni Constituency Education Day event at St. George’s Secondary School in Nyeri County.
Last month, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) raised concerns that more than 40,000 examiners had not been paid their wages. Kuppet Chairman Omboko Milemba stated that examiners faced poor working conditions, including long hours, poor accommodation, poor diets, and low pay.
Some teachers even boycotted the marking of a specific exam due to these issues. Dr. Kipsang’s assurance that the government is actively engaging to ensure timely payment to examiners addresses these concerns.
Furthermore, Dr. Kipsang also assured contractors who built Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms that they will receive their payments. He mentioned that the government is working with the National Treasury to make sure that resources are available for these payments.
The contractors are owed more than Ksh 7.8 billion for building 10,000 CBC classrooms. Dr. Kipsang also provided updates on efforts to boost learning in junior secondary schools (JSS), including the recruitment of 36,000 teachers to enhance education in JSS.
He acknowledged that this is the largest number of teachers recruited at once and that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has already posted these new teachers to JSS. Additionally, he mentioned that the ministry has disbursed 18 million textbooks to 1.2 million JSS learners and has provided Ksh 9.6 billion in capitation, at a rate of Ksh 15,000 per year per learner, to JSS.
During the event, Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina expressed concern about the negative impact of alcoholism and drug abuse on learners and teachers in his constituency, which has led to poor educational performance and low transition rates to university, particularly among male learners.
He called on parents to take responsibility in addressing this issue and pledged to allocate sufficient resources towards education for all.
In summary, the government has provided assurances to examiners and contractors regarding their payments for services rendered, and has taken steps to improve learning in junior secondary schools.
However, challenges such as poor working conditions and issues related to alcoholism and drug abuse among learners persist and require concerted efforts from various stakeholders to address.
Govt Addresses Payment Concerns of Exam Markers and Contractors
