Teachers-employer wrangles a result of dropped Finance Bill: MP

Nyeri Town MP Duncan Maina has said that the move by the country to drop the Finance Bill 2024 has led to the stalemate pitting the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Last Friday, Knut issued a fresh seven-day strike notice to TSC after conciliatory measures failed to curb the looming industrial action.

Mr Maina has appealed to President William Ruto’s administration to negotiate with the teachers on the implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) among other issues raised.

“When it was very popular and legitimate for us to drop the Finance Bill 2024, we said that the effects of that action would be far reaching and wide. When the CBA by teachers was negotiated four years ago, the government had no resources to implement it in that one financial year,” Mr Maina said.

The MP was speaking to the media at Nyamachaki Primary School on Monday where he oversaw the ongoing construction of additional classrooms. President Ruto has committed Sh10 million towards improving infrastructure of the Junior Secondary section of the institution.

“The projection for this Financial Year is that the National Treasury would put on the table an extra Sh13.1 billion for teachers. Unfortunately, we are unable to put that money on the table. I urge the national government and KNUT to come to a negotiation table and agree on a new implementation period for the remaining amount for this financial year,” he said.

“This is one of the areas where, unfortunately, that conversation will have to happen. Even if we withdraw our labour and our kids stay at home, the money will still not be found. Our options are limited. We will have to engage in a national conversation on where we will have to tighten our belts. It is not an easy conversation but it is our only way out,” he added.

The lawmaker further called on the Ministry of Education to domicile Grade 9 at Senior Secondary Schools, arguing that the senior institutions have adequate space and infrastructure to accommodate the ballooning population of students.

He said the government should focus on constructing and upgrading laboratories for Grade 7 and Grade 8 learners at the Junior Secondary School (JSS) which are currently placed at the primary institutions.

“When we look at the financial challenges that we are going through as a country, we must be prudent in utilising the resources that we have. I suggest that we continue hosting Grade 7 and Grade 8 in the current primary schools but build science laboratories,” the MP said.

He urged the Ministry of Education to develop a national exam that will enable the Grade 8 learners to transit to Grade 9.

“At Grade 8, I would urge the Ministry of Education to come up with a national examination that will allow us to place students at Grade 9 in the Senior Secondary Schools. At Senior Secondary Schools, we have ample spaces and we don’t need new infrastructure because it is already existing. We should maximize on what is already available

“In my constituency, we have senior secondary schools that were hived off from primary schools and they did not have science laboratories. Marua, Thunguma, Duncan Ndegwa and Kiandere secondary schools share their compounds with primary schools. We have completed modern science laboratories with an agreement that they will be utilized equally among them accordingly,” Mr Maina said.

On Friday, Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu said the union submitted their grievances to TSC and the Ministry of Labour but no action has been taken so far.

“I have today issued a strike notice. Teachers shall down their tools and withdraw their labour and schools will not open until this matter is resolved. We have communicated to the employer several times but they have not responded,” said Mr Oyuu.

The union is demanding full implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA, conversion of JSS teachers, recruitment of 20,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms among other grievances.