Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has termed teachers’ pay hike demands as ‘most unreasonable’.
“From my experience, I can tell you it is the most unreasonable (demand),” said Magoha.
Magoha added “Let us not pretend. There is no way the government can give teachers 60 per cent”.
Magoha was speaking in Mombasa after inspecting Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms.
On Wednesday, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) demanded a 60 per cent salary increment for its members .
Knut wants the hike included in the negotiations for the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Collins Oyuu, Knut Secretary General said the union will take nothing less than the 60 per cent hike for TSC.
The last CBA between Knut and their employer did not include clauses on salary increments.
The union is basing its argument for a salary hike on the fact that the country’s economy has recovered from the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic
Magoha instead wants teachers to show value for the money the government is investing in the education sector.
The CS however noted that the final decision on the matter is with the TSC
At the same time, Magoha dismissed claims of teacher crisis in the country ahead of the first CBC transition to junior secondary.
“We have trained our teachers required in for transition,”
“The reason why Grade Seven teachers have not been upgraded is that they are helping us to normalize, and we are normalizing in January,” said Magoha.
