Teachers' strikes in Kenya over the years have become common if not a norm, so often, such that if teachers stay for a while without giving a strike notice, it would seem something is amiss.
Teaching is one of the professions neglected and looked down upon by Kenyans despite being the most powerful and vital profession globally.
Being a teacher in Kenya has now been made to look like being a rebel in your own country. But, the kind of rebel who has to always fight for what is rightfully and constitutionally yours, like every month’s salary, salary increment and appraisal on merit.
Contentment remains a dream in the lives of Kenyan teachers, who the government is yet to discover promote literacy and nurture a good reading culture in every child’s life.
It is no doubt that Kenyans have a poor, if not the poorest reading culture in the world.
Take this instance, most of online readers and blog followers and readers are from European countries, very few are Africans and almost handfuls are Kenyans. Not forgetting that there is so much local content on the web by gifted Kenyan writers!
This should cause alarm to not only parents and teachers but also the government to empower and appreciate teachers so that they continue with the spirit of teaching and nurturing a reading culture among the young generation.
When that happens, novelists and word smiths will start reaping from their books that are hardly bought or read by Kenyans, young and old.
Knowledge is power, so the saying goes and action speaks louder than words, it is high time, government walked the talk and stopped tarnishing the name of teachers by forcing them to look stupid.
Teachers will be motivated and happy to execute duties from their heart as a generation of much informed, knowledgeable and wiser Kenyans grows, reading and gaining as much as they can from self driven and respected teachers