- According to the petitioners, in July 1996, the then Directorate of Personnel Management of the TSC issued a scheme of service for non-graduate teachers giving the requirements and promotion.
- Reacting to the petition, Senators took on the State for mistreating and subjecting teachers to torture after tirelessly working for it.
Image: / WINNIE WANJIKU
Thousands of P1 teachers with Advanced-level academic qualifications who served from 1996 to 2010 are demanding payments running into millions from the government.
The teachers, in a petition filed in the Senate by one Ruth Kabuyu, said that they were promoted in 1996 but are yet to receive their advanced salary.
Consequently, they want the Senate to summon the Teachers Service Commission and the National Treasury to explain why the arrears have not been paid, contrary to standard labour practices.
“The Petitioners pray to the Senate that it intervenes in this matter, with a view to recommending to the Treasury to factor in budget, to enable payment of salary arrears to the teachers,” Speaker Amason Kingi said while reading out the petition in the chamber.
According to the petitioners, in July 1996, the then Directorate of Personnel Management of the TSC issued a scheme of service for non-graduate teachers giving the requirements and promotion.
“The said schemes were implemented by the Commission after which attendant regarding was required,” the petition states.
It explains that in July 1996, the then Ministry of Education, Science and Technology through the chief inspector of schools requested all District Education Officers, Municipal Education Officers and City Director of Education to submit the name of trained primary school teachers P1 with A Level academic qualifications countrywide to the ministry.
The ministry proceeded to grade untrained A-Level teachers, who attended a two weeks programme at Kagumo and Bondo Teachers Training Colleges to secondary schools (S1), locking other A-Levels primary school teachers P1, who had not attended the course.
This resulted in complaints by the primary school teachers, P1 A-Level trained teachers.
Reacting to the petition, Senators took on the State for mistreating and subjecting teachers to torture after tirelessly working for it.
Narok Senator Ledama Olekina held that besides mistreatment, tutors are grossly underpaid compared to other civil servants.
“The basic salary of a teacher is Sh27,000 to Sh30,000. That is a teacher who made the current occupier of the ‘house on the hill’” Ledama said.
For his part, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi reckoned that teachers go through a lot of problems, adding that the issue of P1 teachers affects most of the counties.
“TSC should take charge and resolve these issues. We have had many issues touching on teachers, which have been processed either in the National Assembly or here. However, TSC has heard nothing, seen nothing and not acted,” Osotsi said.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo stated that the Constitution requires fair and equal treatment to every Kenyan, in that whatever they have worked for, should be paid to them in order without undue delay.
“At that time, there was rationalisation of the P1 and S1 grades. We have many teachers who became graduates. They pursued degrees privately and have now qualified. Unfortunately, the salary is not commensurate to what the teacher is qualified for,” Maanzo said.
Maanzo called for a review of the scheme of service for all these teachers through public participation and by consultation with relevant bodies to improve teachers’ welfare.
Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri regrated that the teachers have not been paid many years after they were promoted.
“The other time, we were discussing about teachers who had marked exams and were yet to be compensated and today it’s about who were not paid after promotion,” Okenyuri said.