- KUPPET Nyeri branch joined their counterparts in staging a demonstration in Nyeri town.
- Nyeri KUPPET executive secretary said that they will only return to work after the government and TSC have addressed their issues.
Image: KNA
Schools in the Central region recorded poor attendance as learners opened for the Third Term.
Central Region director of education, Sabina Aroni said records on school attendance show that despite teachers reporting to school ready to receive the learners, some classes were either empty or had few learners.
“We are still trying to find out what could have resulted in such poor attendance by learners.
"We have reports of schools where only five out of 55 learners reported to school and instances where none reported,” Aroni said.
Aroni also confirmed that teachers registered under the Kenya National Union of Teachers reported to their respective schools following a decision by their union to call off the nationwide teachers’ strike.
On Sunday, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu called off the industrial action after it resolved to address its grievances with the Teachers Service Commission.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Nyeri branch joined their counterparts in other counties in staging a demonstration in Nyeri town.
Monday marked the first day of the industrial action with teachers vowing to stay away from classrooms until the government implements the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement in full.
Nyeri Kuppet executive secretary Francis Wanjohi said that they will only return to work after the government and TSC have addressed their issues.
He said that TSC and the government had resorted to giving empty verbal reassurances which are unacceptable to their members.
“This strike will go on as long as our demands as Kuppet have not been met. TSC promised to honour the second phase of the salary increment.
"They had told us that the second phase of the salary award would have been wired into our accounts by Friday last week but has not happened,” Wanjohi said.
KUPPET wants the government to promote the 130,000 teachers who have stagnated in their current job grades within this financial year.
The teachers are also demanding the immediate confirmation of all Junior Secondary intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms and the full payment of the salaries which are to be backdated to July this year.
“Initially, the JSS teachers were to be employed by July and making them wait until January is unfair. These are the pioneers of the Competence Based Curriculum so failing to address their plight means the government is sabotaging CBC," Wanjohi said.
Kuppet wants the government and the TSC to resolve the collapse of teachers’ medical cover and resolve the non-remittance of loans and NSSF deductions from teachers by the TSC.