Teachers Protest Unfavorable Conditions and Delayed Pay for Examiners
Four months have passed since the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) exams were marked, but the examiners have yet to be paid. The government has indicated that the payments will be made once funds are available.
The CEO of KNEC, David Njeng’ere, admitted during a session with the public investments committee on education and governance in parliament that teachers who were contracted by the council received a deposit, but the balance will be paid once the funds are released from the exchequer.
Njeng’ere stated that the council is facing a cash crunch, which has resulted in the pending bill for examiners remaining unpaid for over four months after the end of the marking exercise. However, he did not provide specific dates for when the payments will be made.
The chairman of the committee, Wanami Wamboka, urged the government to increase funding to KNEC to ensure that it can fulfill its responsibilities effectively and remain financially stable. Currently, KNEC pays KCSE examiners a standard rate of Ksh 20,000 as an advance after the completion of the marking exercise.
The three main exams administered by KNEC, which are KPSEA, KCPE, and KCSE, have all had their results released. The rates of pay for different roles in the examination process vary. KCSE supervisors earn Ksh 2,485, while invigilators receive Ksh 1,615. Security officers are paid Ksh 1,050, and drivers earn Ksh 1,040.28.
KCSE center managers are paid Ksh 2,000 per day for 18 days, totaling Ksh 36,000. Supervisors earn Ksh 2,485 for the same duration, amounting to Ksh 44,750 each. Invigilators, numbering 74,990, earn Ksh 1,615 per day for 17 days, totaling Ksh 24,450 each. Secondary school principals receive a flat rate of Ksh 500 for 18 days, totaling Ksh 9,000.
KNEC currently pays between Ksh 48 and Ksh 77 per script, depending on the subject. Different subjects have different rates of pay for examiners. Those marking English papers are paid between Ksh 57 and Ksh 77 per script, while those marking Kiswahili papers receive between Ksh 57 and Ksh 69.
The same rate applies to those marking mathematics papers. Teachers charge between Ksh 50 and Ksh 52 to mark Chemistry, Biology, and Physics papers. For History papers, KNEC pays between Ksh 52 and Ksh 55, while Geography papers are rated at between Ksh 52 and Ksh 54 per script. Business Studies and Agriculture are rated at Ksh 52.
However, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) claims that Agriculture paper 3, which is marked at the school level, is never paid for. Around 30,000 teachers marked KCSE papers, and 7,000 marked KCPE papers.
The delayed payment to examiners goes against the demands of the parliamentary education and research committee from last year, which had summoned former Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha to answer questions about KNEC contracts and payments.
Teachers’ unions have been pressuring KNEC to fulfill its obligation to pay the teachers, stating that the council is breaching the contract it signed with the tutors. The national chairman of KUPPET, Omboko Milemba, gave KNEC a two-week ultimatum to ensure that the 50,000 tutors are paid their dues.
‘‘We have given the examination council two weeks to settle the bills or face the teachers’ wrath. If the bills are not settled by the end of March, KUPPET will mobilise the examiners to occupy the KNEC office,’’ Milemba said.
KUPPET emphasized that fair labor practices require workers to be paid in a timely and appropriate manner for the work they have done. The teachers have fulfilled their part of the agreement, but are being neglected in return.
Last December, markers of CRE paper II went on strike to protest against poor working conditions and low pay. The work itself is characterized by long hours, inadequate accommodation in students’ dormitories, poor diets, and low pay, according to the union leader.
The teachers are demanding that the examinations agency increase the marking fees for each script to Sh100, as per their union’s new proposals. Additionally, they are requesting that the venue for marking all KCSE examination papers and KCPE English composition, as well as Kiswahili Insha, be moved to university campuses or other high-level government institutions.
Teachers Protest Unfavorable Conditions and Delayed Pay for Examiners