Increasing teachers and administrators want President William Ruto to increase their salaries, leaving Education Secretary George Magoh with a challenge: he needs to change his approach.
Speaking at a world-class teachers’ event held in Kirinyaga district on Monday, October 10, the CS said rallies and slogans of solidarity will not add to the need.
He called for internal inspiration as they negotiated with the state to raise wages and implement a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
He explained that he was selling cheap solidarity songs and said that no government is serious.
There is no way the government can pay for what they (teachers) have done. So when you say solidarity with khaki yete (our right), you are selling yourself short. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t negotiate for the better terms you’re entitled to.
“I would like to say that mentors are my mentors, starting with my late mother who taught me when I was sitting next to Jiko used to,” he said.
Addressing the board, he said it was designed to empower children through the guidance of teachers and parents.
He praised his mother for learning about his education despite having no formal education.
These are things that teachers haven’t taught me so far, and the strength of CBC when I say it has to be the commitment of parents. There is no parent who does not go to school.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) called for the renegotiation of the 2022-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in a January 2022 letter to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The union has long advocated for teacher pay raises and career advancement.
The head of the KNUT wants employers to stop transferring punitive teachers and start based on need.
In a speech on Wednesday, October 5 at the Kenya Government School – Kabete Lower School, Oyuu said the performance of teachers depends on their well-being.
He also stated that the head office of KNUT has asked the teachers to increase the share of the national cake.
Teachers can’t work unless they are motivated and well paid. “I have proposed a 60 percent salary increase despite the state of the country’s economy,” he said.