Teachers will not be evaluated or go back to North Eastern – Sossion

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have opposed the planned teachers’ job evaluation.

They claim this is part of government’s scheme not to meet teachers’ demands in the country.

The two teachers’ unions are opposed to plans by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to carry out job evaluation for teachers saying that they were not consulted and therefore the process needs to be stopped.

At the same time, they claimed that it was part of government political scheme to attract teachers support ahead of the 2017 election, a matter they said will not be accepted.

 “The Teachers Service Commission staff got a pay rise without job evaluation. The same case with Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) and other civil servants. Why should it be teachers only who are being evaluated?” posed Wilson Sossion, the KNUT Secretary General.

No going back to North Eastern

“We believe very strongly job evaluation is being brought about to disrupt and slow down our demand for better salaries, wages and benefits for the teachers of this country. So we cannot accept a process that we do not understand, rest assured,” said Sossion.

The unions further said that the Teachers Service Commission should also be given that mandate, adding that nowhere in the world have teachers performance been evaluated without their prior consultation.

Sossion, who was accompanied by KUPPET’s chairman Omboko Milemba and other officials, defended their move to demand transfer of teachers and relocation of students from Northern Kenya saying that their security cannot be compromised.

“Teachers cannot continue staying in North Eastern if there is no security. When we ask for assurance of their security, we are told that we are defiant.”

On the other hand, the union officials accused local communities in North Eastern Kenya of failing to work with the government to address insecurity, adding that teachers will not go back unless the issue is tackled.