Teachers’ Unions Warn Education CS Against his Confusing Remarks
Teachers’ Unions Warn Education CS Against his Confusing Remarks. Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, has been rebuked by Akelo Misori, the secretary general of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), who claims that Kenyans are growing wary of him due to his confusing remarks regarding school capitation money.
Misori asserted that several schools had not yet received the Ksh24 billion in capitation money that the Ministry had released when speaking at the 46th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Conference recently in Mombasa’s Sheikh Zayed Hall.
“Financial years pass before the equal amount is delivered to schools, in spite of the meager funding allocations made by Parliament for the critical subject of capitation. The presence of our Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, and Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Belio Kipsang, makes me happy. He asserted that these people are rapidly undermining Kenyans’ religion.
“How can a whole Cabinet Secretary promise Parliament and KESSHA that he will release Ksh28 billion, only to release Ksh24 billion, and the same has not yet reached many schools even today?” he questioned.
According to Machogu’s remarks at the same conference, which downplayed the feelings, the current quarterly capitation system has been discontinued, and they will go back to disbursing capitation on a 50:30:20 ratio for first, second, and third terms, respectively.
Teachers’ unions pose a threat to the education minister
“I am aware of the challenges and constraints these delays [in the payment of capitation] present for the activities at your institutions. We are continuously working to streamline the distribution systems by utilizing cutting-edge technologies and automated processes in order to accelerate the flow of funds, the official continued.
In addition, Misori charged that CS Machogu and PS Kipsang were negligent in their supervision of Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs), many of which he said were not in operation, notably in Mombasa.
Additionally, these two officials decided to disregard the problem with the Junior Secondary Schools’ inability to function. I challenge the Cabinet Secretary to go to a random Mombasa primary school and describe the kind of instruction he observes to Kenyans,” he said.
The CBC, free secondary education, and the policy of a 100 percent transition were all ideas that the KUPPET leader claimed his group fully supported, but the government had not yet put the structures and procedures in place to make these changes possible.
Unfortunately, the government has not made the investments required to achieve its high objectives. Although student enrolment in our schools has increased over the previous fifteen years, the number of professors has remained constant. Since new hires typically replace those leaving the service, boards of management employ close to 40% of the instructors in public schools, according to Misori.
As they began a new journey to negotiate with the government, Misori assured the school officials that the teachers will receive a new compensation package this year.
After completing his first budget, President Ruto now has complete control over public spending. We applaud his financial provisions for elevating current instructors and employing new intern teachers. Then, discussions will resume for a new CBA that will give teachers their well-deserving pay boost. He said.