- Ngetich praised KNUT for calling off their strike and asked KUPPET officials to do the same.
- He said the rule of law was paramount and that KUPPET should respect court orders that suspended their strike.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Civil society groups in the North Rift have asked the teachers' union Kuppet to stop invasion of schools and dialogue with TSC to end the ongoing strike.
Representatives from the groups led by Kipkorir Ngetich said the move to invade schools and disrupt learning was a shame and bad image among learners.
Ngetich who is CEO for the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD) said as much as the teachers had genuine demands they should not behave in an unruly manner in schools in the presence of learners.
“We ask that Kuppet should stop such behavior by its members in the name of pushing for their rights. Children also have rights to be in school and disrupting learning is uncouth,” Ngetich said.
The NGOs in a statement noted that the current call for a strike by the teaching profession is unwarranted and unacceptable because there were many channels to resolve disputes.
“It is also ill times because children are preparing for exams and parents have paid fees. TSC and the unions should sort out the issues they have without involving children,” Ngetich said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by representatives from the Elimu Bora Initiative in Eldoret.
“As much as we do agree our teachers must get better pay and issues surrounding their allowances, housing and health fully addressed by the government, the timing of the strike is totally wrong and amounts to torture to learners and parents,” Ngetich said.
Ngetich said they fully support the demands by teachers but they should utilitise time during school holidays to engage with the TSC and the Ministry of Education in order to save children from being victims of circumstances they do not understand.
Ngetich praised KNUT for calling off their strike and asked KUPPET officials to do the same.
He said the rule of law was paramount and that KUPPET should respect court orders that suspended their strike.
“The times we are leaving in call for constructive dialogue and combative actions in resolving issues,” he said.
He said the country was still recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent floods and teachers should balance their demands as they are also parents and Kenyans.
The officials have also expressed disappointment with the Teachers Service Commission for not prioritising the rights and the demands of the teachers who fully sacrifice under harsh conditions to work in schools.
“Our teachers are equally going through difficulties as they work and TSC should have managed the teachers' salary issue better," the lobbies said in a statement from the NGOs.
Ngetich said there was a greater need for the government to overhaul the current composition of TSC and put in place a leadership that is proactive in dealing with critical issues affecting teachers.
He said most strikes by teachers were caused by poor management of their issues by the TSC.
Ngetich noted that the government had committed to fund TSC to come up with sound and proper policies towards the management of teachers' salaries and recruitment.
He said TSC and the unions must be having frequent forums to discuss issues and ensure smooth learning in schools.
“It should not be that teachers have to always strike so that they get what they want. If so then we should not have the TSC in place because it can not handle its mandate effectively,” Ngetich said.
He said time had come to restructure TSC and ensure it serves the country better.