KNUT Blast KUPPET for Sponsoring JSS Teachers’ Protests, Warns of Contract Termination
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has blasted the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) for the countrywide demonstrations by Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers.
Collins Oyuu, Secretary General of the KNUT, has accused KUPPET of funding JSS teachers’ demonstrations around the country in order to pressure the government into hiring them on permanent and pensionable terms.
Oyuu asserts that terminating teacher contracts is a possibility, yet KUPPET will be incapable of defending them.
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The Secretary-General reports that KNUT seeks permanent and pensionable employment for JSS teachers. However, the Secretary-General emphasizes that achieving this goal requires following proper procedures rather than resorting to public protests.
The KNUT leader stated that trade unions’ tasks should be lobbying and proper counsel to their members, not misleading them.
On Sunday, he spoke at a fundraiser at Gagra Catholic Church, where he declared that dialogue, not protests, is the only solution to the JSS teachers’ current problems.
Oyuu underscores KNUT’s commitment to engaging with the government via the Ministry of Education. The focus is on addressing the absorption of teachers into permanent and pensionable positions.
Educators in various counties have been staging protests for the past two weeks, warning of a potential strike in January unless authorities revise their working conditions.
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After working on a contract basis for one year, JSS teachers allege the government was abusing their rights.
No JSS teachers will renew their contracts or return to school if the Teacher Service Commission does not hire them on permanent and pensionable terms, according to Kilifi KUPPET Secretary Leonard Oronje.
“We want the TSC to convert the terms of the contract to permanent and pensionable,” he went on to say.
Oronje claimed that the government had previously committed to hire JSS intern instructors on a permanent basis, but has now failed to do so and delayed the deadline to 2025.
He also declared that teachers should not feel obligated to instruct subjects in which they lack expertise.
Oronje claims that the government is wasting a generation by forcing JSS teachers to teach students subjects in which they have little or no experience.
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Mishi Maulid, a JSS intern teacher, stated that they have not welcomed the government’s request to sign a new contract.
She claims that the JSS intern teachers are in pain and deserve more because they are professionals.
According to Maulid, the cost of living has risen dramatically, and a stipend of Sh17,000 is an insult.
She asserted that they desired to be on permanent and pensionable terms, along with receiving fair compensation comparable to other teachers in Kenya.
She voiced her discontent more, asserting that it was unfair for other teachers to receive good treatment while they endured humiliation due to insufficient payment and unfavorable contract terms.
According to Maulid, low compensation has caused society to dismiss teaching as a profession.
Suleiman Mwasahani, another teacher, proposes housing the Junior Secondary School (JSS) in senior secondary schools to guarantee efficient curriculum delivery.
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He stated that the JSS possesses the necessary infrastructure and personnel resources to implement the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Mwasahani stated that some JSS institutions have single teachers, resulting in students in grade 7 missing the entire year without real learning.
Mwinyihaji Chamosi, Public Complaint Officer at Human Rights Agenda, stated that the government should consider hiring JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable conditions because it is their right.
He claimed that underpaying teachers is unlawful because they have families and obligations.
Chamosi stated that HURIA will support the JSS teachers and hold the appropriate authorities accountable.
Parliament has raised concerns about the plans for teachers led by the Nancy Macharia-led commission. Senators are requesting answers on this matter.
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The politicians, led by nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri, want the commission to explain whether the tutors were qualified for permanent employment.
Okenyuri, demanding answers, confronted the Senate Education Committee chaired by Nyeri Senator Joseph Nyutu. The committee is planning to summon Macharia to explain these concerns.
“The committee should explain whether these contract-employed teachers are eligible for employment by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms,” Okenyuri stated in a press release.
The commission will address allegations of discrimination against permanent and pensionable teachers during regular replacement, recruitment, and employment.
Okenyuri is asking the TSC to disclose the complete count of teachers currently employed on both non-permanent and pensionable terms. Additionally, they demand transparency on the annual recruitment figures for new hires.
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“The commission (through the committee) to elaborate the career growth path plans in place by the TSC to grow and advance the careers of these young contract employed teachers,” she went on to say.
The commission will also define the specific sections in the TSC human resource policy or TSC regulations that address the career advancement of contract teachers.
The JSS teachers have complained that they have been working for a year without formal employment terms, despite the enormous burden.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers additionally came out against the extension of intern teacher contracts, arguing that they should now be permanent and pensionable.
Knut secretary general Collins Oyuu reported that they had sat with TSC and signed a Memorandum of Understanding indicating the acceptance of teachers as interns.
Oyuu mentioned that the initial plan was for a one-year term, with the possibility of contract renewals. However, Oyuu asserted that contract renewals would not take place, stating that TSC had hired the teachers on a contract basis the previous year.
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They have taught in JSS institutions, which are now located in primary schools across the country. The commission had promised to make them permanent and pensionable.
KNUT Blast KUPPET for Sponsoring JSS Teachers’ Protests, Warns of Contract Termination