Teachers Strike is Still On – KNUT

The Kenya National Union of Teacher (KNUT) has said that the teachers strike that is set to take place from 2nd of January is still on.

KNUT, through its Secretary General Wilson Session, said that the talks initiated by the Ministry of Labour have collapsed and termed them a waste of time and public resources.

The union is as loggerheads with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over the mass transfer of more than 3,000 teachers under the “delocalization” program initiated by TSC.

Most of the teachers who had received their transfer letters have already assumed their new positions with TSC insisting that it is impossible to revert the decision. The union wants the transfers revoked “with immediate” effect.

KNUT also wants the employer to promote teachers who have furthered their studies as well as revoking the requirements of teachers having to sign contract forms. TSC had said that teachers who continued with their studies will no longer be promoted.

Schools were set to resume on 2nd of January 2019 but the government, through the Ministry of Education, extended the date to 3rd of January to “parents and students time to travel.”

The strike, if effective, will derail the opening of schools and at long last, the school calendar for the first term.

The strike will also affect the admission of students joining form ones through the exercise that is set to take place in January before 10th.

The government also insists that the new curriculum is ready to be rolled out in January, with a delay in the offing in the event the strike kicks off.

The implementation of the new curriculum is still surrounded with a shade of dark clouds with the Parliament, which must approve the same, still on holiday and set to resume sessions in February.