Teachers’ Abuse at KCSE Marking Centers Exposed As KUPPET Gives Demands
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has advocated for a review of the marking process and legislation of national examinations in order to address three issues.
On Wednesday, January 11 during an interview on Ramogi TV, KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori stated that the examiners were living as prisoners.
He stated that the living circumstances at the marking centers were one of the factors that led to their members leaving St Francis Mang’u Girls High School.
“Do you know that in the marking center, even the prisoners are better off? When they got to those centers nobody was allowed to leave. You cannot even visit anyone.
"Marking of exams is a matter of life and death for the government and that has affected teachers,” he stated.
In addition, Misori suggested that examiner compensation should be reevaluated because the government was utilizing a 1987-era model.
They continue to receive Ksh150 per day. This amount of money cannot even buy you a Coke after you leave the cities. Why should they be paid so much when they determine the future of so many children?“ he stated.
In addition, he demanded that the Ministry of Education recognize the disgruntled teachers, adding that some of them had been gassed with tear gas after laying down their tools.
However, Misori pushed his coworkers to return to duty, noting that they had already signed a contract.
He stated that new terms and circumstances would be negotiated prior to the upcoming grading exercise later this year.
In a statement released on Tuesday, January 10, the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) stated that they would hire replacement examiners if the unhappy teachers did not return to work.
This occurred after CRE examiners at St. Francis Mang’u Girls High School walked off the job because to terrible working conditions.
Before schools resume on January 23, KCSE results will be released.
The national exams agency hired a fresh group of teachers to grade CRE Paper 1 after a protest by the first group of examiners halted the marking process.
The Kenya National Examinations Council made the decision Tuesday night in response to a protest at St. Francis Mang’u High School by a handful of examiners who were upset with the Sh55 per paper payment.
According to a source at Knec, retired examiners were phoned on Tuesday evening and asked to report to the marking center by tomorrow’s deadline.
The majority of teachers responsible for the standoff were asked to leave the centre.
Insiders from the CRE marking team, team leaders, and a few administrators are still in school, marking the papers.
Approximately 500,000 CRE papers had not been evaluated by Tuesday evening.
“All the other teachers checked out, I am among the ones who remained and we are here struggling with the remaining papers,” a teacher told the Star.
However, the teacher is optimistic that Knec will quickly fill the vacancies created by the striking teachers.
A Knec official who spoke on the condition of anonymity questioned the strike’s motivation, stating that the teachers had signed contracts and read the terms.
“We will do our own investigations as a council, and everything will follow due process,” the source said.
The source stated that he did not comprehend the conditions that drove the teachers to renounce contracts they had read and signed.
"They have obligations under the terms of the contract, and we have ours. In every contract, a party has the opportunity to withdraw,” he continued.
According to him, the contract includes teachers as contractual professionals who would grade national examinations.
The agreement signed by the teachers contains payment terms, teacher teachers, and Knec’s responsibilities.
Tuesday, Knec issued a formal statement in which he declined to accept the CRE Paper 1 teachers’ demands.
According to a statement by KNEC chairman Julius Nyabundi, the initial agreement cannot be modified midway.
“Since the issue of the examiner’s marking fee is an individual contract, and agreed to before reporting to a centre, the council found it impossible to find an extra budget to revise the rates midway,” Nyabundi said.
The council further requested that teachers who wished to continue grading the papers remain.
Those who did not choose to proceed were permitted to leave St. Francis Mangu High School.
“In the meantime, the Council has invited trained examiners from its database to ensure the smooth progress of the exercise,” he added.
Akelo Misori, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, urged Knec to increase the per-script rate from Sh55 to Sh100.
Misori stated that the challenges identified are shared by teachers at other marking centres.
Misori stated, “The teachers have said enough is enough, and we will prepare further undetermined activities.”
He stated that if their demands are not addressed, the union will shortly call for a complete boycott of KCSE marking.
“Rather than address these long-festering challenges, KNEC has doubled down on the malpractices. This year, the Council is running an authoritarian work schedule where examiners work from 4am to 10pm,” he said.ed.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu was allegedly screamed down when he attempted to calm down the teachers at Mangu High.
In addition to other education officials, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia visited the school to calm the tension.
Teachers had already sought the removal of the incumbent Chief Examiner.
Teachers’ Abuse at KCSE Marking Centers Exposed As KUPPET Gives Demands