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The Treasury Thursday admitted that it lacks the financial capacity to hire 20,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, casting a shadow over the education sector as a nationwide teachers’ strike looms.
Speaking on Citizen on Thursday evening, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi revealed that the government is grappling with a significant budget shortfall. CS Mbadi acknowledged the government’s struggles in addressing the grievances raised by teachers.
“We don’t have the resources to recruit JSS teachers on permanent terms,” Mbadi stated. “The additional 20,000 teachers were reduced in the estimates, leaving a shortfall of about Ksh.13 billion.”
The CS further explained that there is no available funding for converting temporary contracts to permanent ones unless substantial budget adjustments are made—a challenging prospect given the current financial constraints.
“This year has been particularly tough. We’ve had to scrape together funds just to meet the salary adjustments already promised to teachers,” he added.
These revelations come just days before a nationwide strike set for Monday, August 26, 2024. The strike, announced by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET), stems from the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) failure to address critical issues raised during a meeting on July 16, 2024.
Among the unresolved issues are the immediate recruitment of 20,000 new JSS teachers, the prompt remittance of all third-party deductions, and the commencement of discussions on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Adding to the growing crisis, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos admitted on Thursday that the Ministry of Education is also facing a severe funding shortage, hindering its ability to meet all the demands within the sector.
Migos’s comments have only heightened tensions, especially after TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia assured teachers on Wednesday that Ksh.13 billion had been released for the implementation of phase two of the 2021-2025 CBA.
“I urge all teachers to report to school on Monday as planned. The funds for phase two of the CBA have been released, and we are addressing all outstanding issues,” Ms. Macharia said earlier this week.
The conflicting statements from government officials have left teachers and parents uncertain about the start of the third term. With no clear resolution in sight, the education sector faces an increasingly uncertain future.
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