Most of the teachers take to drinking due to the frustrations encountered in the profession as a result poor pay, a Kisii teachers union leader has said.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education (Kuppet) Kisii Branch executive secretary Ken Songoi said that Coping with stress continues to be a major issue confronting teachers leading to most teachers subsequently getting addicted to alcohol and eventually dying of complication related to excessive drinking.
“The issue of low salaries is one of the major problems that teachers have to contend with, the issue of pay continue to arise very often Teachers still cannot figure out why they should suffer before they receive their meagre salaries,” said Songoi.
He said that most teachers now supplement their incomes by engaging in paltry trading sometimes neglecting their students.
Songoi added that teachers in some schools have to operate welfare systems that pull resources together so that they can help each other.
He further called for the government to do something about the plight of teachers by indicating that it is prepared to correct the disparities between teachers’ salaries and those of other professions.
This comes after the TSC moved to court to appeal over 50-60% teacher the salary increment as ruled by the court on June 30. The court has upheld the pay increment until the case is heard and determined.