Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers said the strike would take longer than expected because the government had shown little interest in resolving the crisis/CFM
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) said the strike would take longer than expected because the government had shown little interest in resolving the crisis.
Speaking to journalists after a botched parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, National Chairman Omboko Milemba noted that the government had once again snubbed attempts aimed at addressing the matter worsening an already tense situation.
“The government is not ready to talk and make sure that the strike is called off so that our students can go back to school. I therefore call upon all teachers to remain firm because the government has not even brought Sh10 to the table,” he argued.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori added that none of the education stakeholders from the government’s side had attended the meeting forcing the committee to adjourn.
It emerged that the government had at the last minute called for another parallel meeting to deal with the issue.
“The meeting today was to discuss nothing; it was actually a meeting to call for a postponement because the parties did not come and it is unfortunate that this is the direction we have to go,” he said.
“The meeting today was to discuss nothing; it was actually a meeting to call for a postponement because the parties did not come and it is unfortunate that this is the direction we have to go,” he said.
Education Committee chairman John Pesa (Migori MP) accused the government of dragging its feet over the issue as it had been frustrating efforts to resolve it.
He argued that the government did not want to sort out the crisis and kept taking teachers and Members of Parliament round in circles.
“What we heard from KUPPET and KNUT (Kenya National Union of Teachers) is very unfortunate. The Teachers Service Commission called them at different times, this morning, knowing very well that they are pursuing the same cause,” he noted.
“That is a divide-and-rule tactic that had been going on during the past eras,” he argued.
Committee member Wilber Ottichilo (Emuhaya MP) added that the committee would refer the matter to Parliament if the government again brushed off the next meeting scheduled for September 20.
He expressed concern over the issue saying the government should even tap into the Contingency Fund to get the required monies.
“Education is the foundation of a country and if this country cannot take education seriously then I don’t know what else we can take seriously,” he argued.
He also accused the government of misplacing its priorities noting that Permanent Secretaries had received a salary raise yet teachers’ pay concerns remained largely ignored.
“In fact, the government has increased the PSs salary by a very large margin. These are all indicators that this government is not serious and we are very concerned as a committee,” he said.
Ottichilo added that the government had been forewarned about the strike when Parliament was passing the 2012/2013 Budget.
“We told them that unless they address the teachers’ pay increment, the strike would come but the Finance Minister did not listen; the Minister for Public Service did not listen. In fact he went ahead and increased the salaries of public servants but not teachers,” he noted.
“This is because students will not be ready for the exams and teachers will not be there to invigilate the exams and mark the papers,” said Milemba.
Committee member David Njuguna (Lari MP), on his part, urged the president and prime minister to resolve the issue saying their silence was creating a bad impression.
“I want to remind them that this is the longest strike in the history of this country,” he noted.
KUPPET further reiterated calls to the Kenya National Examination Council to postpone the forthcoming national exams owing to the ongoing teachers’ strike.
“This is because students will not be ready for the exams and teachers will not be there to invigilate the exams and mark the papers,” said Milemba.
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