New Salaries For Teachers, Promotions And Fresh Details Of The 2021-2025 CBA

The Teacher Service Commission (TSC) has been relieved of the guilt fanned by the fact classroom teachers received a raw deal in the previous CBA following the parliamentary Education Committee’s intervention that revoked the SRC freeze of salary increment for teachers.

The Commission postponed all the CBAs for these groups of Government employees citing the rippling effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. TSC has reached a number of agreements in its engagement with the KUPPET concerning the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

According to KUPPET, classroom teachers will ‘reap big’ from the new CBA after receiving a raw deal in the previous one.

KUPPET has held a very fruitful four-day retreat with the Teachers Service Commission to resolve policy and administrative challenges of the 2016-2021 CBA and review the status of negotiations for the new one for 2021-2026. This was the second retreat between KUPPET and the TSC.

1. New CBA To Give True Worth Of Classroom Teacher

KUPPET and the TSC have developed new Job Descriptions capturing the true worth of a classroom teacher. The new Job Descriptions recognize the teachers’ leadership and technical work within and outside the classroom, which had been ignored by the evaluation tool previously used by the SRC.

2. Promotion Of C3 Teachers and TTC Tutors

The Job Re-Evaluation has resulted in the creation of a new opening in C4 for Senior Master IV and Senior Lecturer IV for those in TTCs who do not have administrative positions.

Under the CBC, the TTC tutors will be training teachers at the Diploma level, hence the repositioning of their roles. Administrators in TTCs including Deans and Registrars will have a clear career path with substantive appointments.

3. Diploma Teachers

The career path for Diploma Teachers has been clarified. By the commencement of the 2016 CBA more than half of teachers who had joined service at Job Group had obtained Bed degrees and transited to the Graduate Scheme of Service

Among those who had not, those who had served for more than three years in one Job Group had been promoted to the next Job Group, i.e., Job Group k or L, under the common cadre promotions

However, a small number of the teachers, who had served in one Job Group for less than three years, had their promotions following the scrapping of one common cadre promotional level.

Following the union’s memorandums, the Commission has advertised positions specifically to this group of teachers. We understand that the Commission received fewer applicants than the number of vacancies it declared.

4. Maternity Leave for intern teachers

The Commission agreed that, except for specific provisions of their contracts, all intern teachers will work under the same conditions as provided under the Code of Regulations for Teachers. The intern teachers qualify for maternity leave of 90 calendar days with effect from the expected date of delivery, as do other teachers.

5. Policy On Post-graduate qualifications

The Commission agreed to suspend the requirement of a Master’s degree for Principals or other promotions within the teaching service.

This is in line with regulations by the Public Service Commission which has scrapped the requirement of a Master’s degree for promotions at Job Group P and above. Post-graduate qualifications will be considered as an added advantage.

6. Redeployment Of Graduate Teachers from Primary

In readiness for the new CBC curriculum, the Commission will promote 1,000 graduate teachers who initially had P1 qualifications to secondary schools every financial year. The teachers must have obtained a KCSE mean grade of C+ and C+ in two teaching subjects.

7. Teachers Medical Scheme

The meeting observed the numerous problems teachers face in accessing health services under the Medical Scheme. It was agreed that an inter-party meeting between the TSC, Minet, and KUPPET would be held soon to discuss the issues and recommend solutions.