KNUT threatens January strike over transfer of 557 head teachers
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has threatened to paralyse the opening of schools next month if the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) does not suspend the mass transfer of principals and head teachers.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, December 26, KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion directed the affected teachers to disregard the transfer notices sent to them.
“We totally oppose the unilateral decision to transfer 557 principals. We consider the idea ill conceived and we suspect the plotters do not mean well as this action could, at the end, negatively affect the sector in many ways including demoralising hardworking and successful teachers who are taking this action as punishment and poor performance in the affected schools,” said Sossion.
KNUT asked the teachers affected to ignore the directive until they conclusively reach an agreement with the commission on the best way to carry out the transfers.
Sossion also accused the Ministry of Education and TSC of carrying out “unconsulted sectoral changes”, warning that teachers would down their tools if some of the recently introduced reforms are not revoked.
“KNUT is also demanding for the immediate removal of the recently introduced mandatory teachers’ appraisals whose end results will affect teachers and teaching negatively. It is laborious, tedious, time consuming and is adding no value to teaching,” read the statement.
“We would like to warn that if all these concerns are not addressed then teachers will withdraw labour and schools will not open in the new year.”
TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said the transfers, which take effect from January 2018, had been effected in a new delocalisation programme meant to promote national integration.
The transfers, according to TSC, are also meant to ensure that fresh ideas are infused into institutions after long-stay of some head teachers in some schools.
Ms. Macharia said the transfers will be implemented gradually until all the objectives of the reform measures aimed at improving learning outcomes in schools are fully realised.
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