• He said the government has released Sh13.5 billion to cater to the teachers July and August salary increment and Sh18.7 billion to employ 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
• Ogamba maintained the government has fully implemented the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2021-25.
Image: FILE
Education CS Julius Ogamba has appealed to striking Kuppet teachers to go back to class as their grievances are being addressed.
He said the government has released Sh13.5 billion to cater to the teachers July and August salary increment and Sh18.7 billion to employ 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
Ogamba maintained the government has fully implemented the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2021-25.
“We are fully engaging the union officials on issues raised by the teachers and as evidence of the government's good faith and commitment to address teachers' concerns," the CS said.
"The Teachers Service Commission has worked round the clock to ensure all public school teachers are paid their July and August salary raises by Friday this week."
Ogamba spoke in Naivasha on Tuesday during the official opening of the 54th annual Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa.
The CS said the reports they have received from the field indicated learners continued to report to school for the third term.
He said this was attributable to the increased confidence among parents and guardians, following the decision by Knut to call off their intended strike.
“To restore full industrial harmony in the education sector, the government is engaged in talks with Kuppet and we are confident that these talks will result in members returning to work," Ogamba said.
He said the government has fully implemented the second phase of the CBA and the other administrative issues are being addressed by the TSC "through an amicable, methodical and consultative manner".
The CS said on Sunday President William Ruto announced the government’s intention to employ an additional 20,000 teachers by the end of the year to ease the high teacher-student ratio in public schools.
The government has also provided Sh18.7 billion to employ intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms in January 2025.
“We beseech those teachers that may not have resumed work to return to their work stations to prepare candidates for national assessments and exams,” Ogamba said.
The CS said as a new appointee, he has faced mounting challenges ranging from teachers strike notice, universities funding queries and disbursement of capitation to schools.
Ogamba committed to spearhead engagements with authorities to iron out remaining issues to facilitate seamless learning.
Knut and Kuppet had issued strike notices starting Monday. However, Knut called off their strike, citing goodwill from the government to address their grievances.
The two unions had presented six grievances including the promotion of 130,000 teachers, absorption of 46,000 others on permanent and pensionable terms and remittance of statutory and loan deductions to statutory bodies.
The country has more than 220,000 teachers employed in public schools and nearly 60,000 are members of Kuppet whose strike started on Monday.