Looming Crisis In Schools As Teachers Unions Issue Warning

Looming Crisis In Schools As Teachers Unions Issue Warning

Learning in schools across the country could soon be paralysed should the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) actualise their threats to strike.

As revealed by KNUT Chairman Patrick Karinga, its members will strike at the beginning of the third term should the government fail to honour the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Karinga explained the Teachers’s Service Commission (TSC) was not honouring the salary increment arrangements that were agreed in 2021 owing to the recent budget cuts.

TSC is set to lose close to Ksh10 billion in the new budget estimates.

“If it is not honoured, we may do otherwise. They know teachers are organised and know how they will demand what is owed to them.

“By July 31, if they will not have done what is expected of them, then they should expect another language,” the chairman stated.

Therefore, he called upon the Commission to engage Parliament again to ensure that the allocation meant for the CBA is not touched.

“KNUT calls on TSC to ensure that the legal agreement is honoured,” the KNUT official stated.

If actualised the strike will paralyse education at a critical time given that Form Four students will be sitting their examinations barely two months after reopening for the Third Term.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is expected to commence on November 4. However, some subjects such as music practicals and French will begin as early as October 22.

Already the academic calendar was readjusted owing to the May floods which caused an extended closure of schools by two weeks.

The Ministry of Education and TSC are yet to respond to the demands of the teachers.

Looming Crisis In Schools As Teachers Unions Issue Warning