- Kuppet is digging in as the teachers’ strike enters second week with learning paralysed in schools.
- TSC says it has already promoted 51,232 teachers across all cadres, a report Kuppet has disputed.
Image: FILE
Striking secondary school teachers are now playing hardball against their employer as the industrial action by Kuppet entered its second week on Monday.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers has changed its tack. It is now demanding that teachers with higher education qualifications who have stagnated in the same job groups be promoted.
Kuppet wants the Teachers Service Commission to promote teachers who went to class and earned higher grades but have stagnated in the same job groups.
The union has now framed the struggle against TSC as the fight against “the systematic failure to recognise and reward the professionalism of Kenyan teachers.”
Thousand of graduate teachers who have earned master’s degrees do not get automatic promotions, leaving them in the same job groups for decades.
This is the same for diploma holders who have upgraded their studies and acquired degrees while in service.
TSC only implements automatic promotions under its common cadre progression after teachers serve a certain minimum of years and meet the minimum academic qualifications.
Under the common cadre establishment, teachers in Job Groups J (C1), K (C2), and L (C3) can transition between job groups without a competitive selection process, provided they meet minimum qualifications.
Degree holders join the profession as Secondary School Teacher Two at Job Group K (C2) while diploma holders enter the sector on Job Group J (C1).
Competitive selection applies to promotion to Job Groups M (C4) and above, which include school administrators like senior teachers and deputy headteachers.
Vacancies are advertised periodically, subject to availability of funds and applicants apply through the TSC online portal, with shortlisting conducted by TSC headquarters.
The Kuppet National Steering Committee Sunday resolved that the strike will persist until TSC meets the union’s demands, at least the promotion of teachers with higher academic qualifications.
The NSC, the highest decision-making organ of Kuppet, said the union’s demands had shifted from the salary increment awarded by TSC to promotions.
“Our struggle is not for the Sh10,050 increment. Teachers have loans to pay and may have invested in further education, yet without a review of career progression, their efforts are being undermined," Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori said.
“The employer has refused to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of teachers who have gone an extra mile to further their education, they have refused to promote these teachers, thereby denying them the dignity and the respect they deserve."
Kuppet argues that despite their members having furthered their education and attained higher qualifications, they are being denied promotions despite the TSC rules providing that they should come automatically.
“We are witnessing a conspiracy to make teachers of this country irrelevant, to reduce them to casual labourers. This will not stand. Teachers are professionals," Misori said.
TSC has insisted that it has promoted several teachers with more promotions lined up through Career Progression Guidelines and common cadre establishments.
“The TSC has promoted 51,232 teachers under competitive promotions and a further 20,000 annually on common cadre,” said TSC boss Nancy Macharia last week.
However, Kuppet argues that thousands of teachers have stagnated with TSC allegedly refusing to promote them.
At least 130,000 teachers both in secondary and primary schools are due for promotion with TSC saying 78,768 teachers will be promoted soon.
The union has now framed the promotions as its biggest agenda with TSC before calling off the strike.
The demand is seen as one of the biggest issues that are directly affecting Kuppet members and which the union wants to be addressed conclusively before the strike is called off.
The fresh demand appears to be a climb down from a host of issues that Kuppet wanted TSC to address including hiring of JSS teachers on permanent terms, enhancement of salaries and streamlining medical benefits.
However, a week since the teachers went on strike, the union has yet to enter into any structured dialogue with the employer to address the sticking issues with TSC insisting that Kuppet must first call off the strike.
The strike has paralysed learning in nearly all public secondary schools in the country and threatens to hamper preparations for this year’s Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education tests.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers called off its strike last week, allowing smooth operations at primary schools in the country.
This is after TSC agreed to implement the delayed Phase Two of the 2021–25 CBA after the government released Sh15 billion.
The money would cover the salary enhancement for teachers from July 1 and the teachers' medical cover.
Teachers also wanted the employer to remit all loans and NSSF deductions to the statutory bodies.
They claim since June 2024, the monies have been deducted but not remitted to third-party agents including banks.