KUPPET dismisses teachers strike calls

As the Kenya Union of Teachers stands firm on the looming teachers strike this week, rival union KUPPET has distanced itself from the move saying there are other pertinent issues that need to be addressed.

Laikipia’s KUPPET branch Executive Secretary Ndungu Wangenye has said their members will not participate in the strike and hence asked their members to report to their respecting stations.

He accused KNUT of taking teachers for a ride saying instead it should be talking of other issues such as how they are going to deliver the new CBA, scandal behind the teachers medical cover and stagnation of teachers in the same job group.

Wangenye observed that there was room for dialogue with the TSC and assured parents that learning will not be affected as schools re-opens.

Knut cites a raft of issues, including demands that mass transfers be halted, or teachers will refuse to teach. Appraisals and promotions are also stumbling blocks.

Other issues likely to shape teaching and learning as schools reopen — whenever they do — include implementation of the new curriculum, and the promise of 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools.

The KUPPET official, who is also the spokesperson for the Mt. Kenya Teachers Forum, welcomed the new curriculum saying teachers have no issue with it.

According to him, it will cater for students who want to focus on their talents from a young age alongside their education.

Addressing a press briefing in his office, Wangenye however took issues with the disbursement of government text books to public schools.

He called it a scandal in waiting saying the books supplied by the Ministry of Education do not meet the set standards and cannot be used to prepare students for examinations.

He further demanded that the Education Ministry complies with the Procurement Act so that teachers are not forced to look for alternative books.

The official called for a thorough audit on the quality of text books given to schools to ensure that learners get proper materials.