Teachers have been urged to support Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga's bid.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary general Collins Oyuu said Raila has been making incessant phone calls urging him to rally teachers behind his bid.
“Raila calls me every two weeks, to inquire about who the teachers are voting for. I assure him always that teachers are behind him,” he said.
Oyuu spoke on Saturday while presiding over the 37th Siaya Branch annual general meeting at Siaya Central Primary School.
He urged teachers to rally behind Raila as he has a plan to employ all 114,000 trained and qualified teachers, currently unemployed.
Majority of the teachers in attendance agreed to his proposition by way of acclamation.
During Azimio’s manifesto launch at Nyayo Stadium, Raila said he will employ all trained teachers in the shortest time possible if elected.
“We welcome his promise and pray that it comes to pass and those teachers be properly remunerated,” Oyuu said.
He said the learner to teacher ratio is very low as teachers handle twice or thrice the numbers that should be in a given class.
The official however rebuked Deputy President William Ruto of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance for giving promises that will confuse teachers and the entire education system.
He said Ruto's faction had promised to abolish the Competency-Based Curriculum and integrate it to the 8-4-4 system.
“Choose one. Don’t confuse us as teachers with your hybrid system, which cannot work in this country,” Oyuu said.
He also thanked President Uhuru Kenyatta for the 12 per cent increment pronouncement for low wage earners saying it spoke of a government keen on improving the economy.
The official however said the CBC’s Junior Secondary should be domiciled in primary schools, where there is enough infrastructure and qualified teachers.
He said it is impractical that Junior Secondary should be domiciled in secondary schools, which are few.
Oyuu also said primary school teachers with bachelors, masters and PhDs should be deployed to impart knowledge into the CBC learners.
He said Knut currently has a dialogue approach to issues and the emotive delocalisation issue will soon no longer be a problem.
“Those who confronted Knut are back to their preferred counties and we thank the Teachers Service Commission for their cooperation,” Oyuu said.
He said teachers will be transferred or left to teach in stations where they can thrive best.
The official also said negotiations on Teachers Professional Development are underway and Knut will only relent after Parliament disburses funds to TSC for the course.
He further said Knut had signed a cashless 2021-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement following the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s guideline on no-cash component.
Oyuu said this was on a premise of a review after one year.
“On July 6-8, Knut’s national steering committee shall sit with the TSC to look into those issues,” he said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
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