President Uhuru Kenyatta has welcomed the signing of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and teachers’ unions, terming it a historic move that will improve the country’s education sector.
The President praised the landmark agreement that covers 2013- 2017, saying for the first time, there is a platform on which future discussions and negotiations between the employee (unions) and the employer (TSC) will be held.
“Today is, indeed, a historic day as we see the first ever CBA between the teachers unions and their employer, the Teachers Service Commission,” President Kenyatta said.
He added: “As you will recall, a few months ago I asked the TSC and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to sit together as reasonable people and find a way forward in establishing a harmonious relation in the education sector.”
The President was speaking on Wednesday at State House, Mombasa, after a meeting with the TSC and KNUT top leadership.
The CBA signed on Tuesday introduces among other things, an alternative dispute resolution mechanism that will end the perennial strikes that have dogged the education sector in the past.
He assured KNUT that the next CBA (2017-2021) would also be concluded in a manner that will ensure harmony.
The Head of State pointed out that harmonious relations between the TSC and teachers’ unions cannot exist in an environment of confrontation.
“The two must look for a way that will ensure the education of Kenyan children is not put at risk, especially during their crucial time when they are doing their exams,” he said.
“The whole purpose of working together is to ensure that we give our children a firm foundation on which to build their future,” he added.
He pointed out that both the Government and the teachers’ unions have a responsibility to ensure that the education sector is run in the best interest of the child.
President Kenyatta also assured the teachers as well as other public servants that his Government is committed to safeguarding their welfare.
TSC Chairperson Lydia Nzomo said the CBA protects the student by ensuring that they learn in an environment where there is industrial harmony.
KNUT officials thanked thanked the Government for the CBA, saying for the first time teachers have a pact with their employer that fully protects their rights.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion and Chairman Mudzo Nzili said the successful implementation of the CBA will entrench the tripartite relationship between the Government, the TSC and the KNUT to deliver high quality education.
“With the signing of the CBA, Kenya has entered into the annals of history as a country that respects the rights of Teachers,” said Sossion.
President Kenyatta also met the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) National Chairman Omboka Milemba who praised the CBA.
“We are dedicated to improve the lot of our school-going children. This CBA is the first in the union’s history,” said Milemba.
The meetings were also attended by Cabinet Secretary for Education Fred Matiang’i and Principal Secretary Richard Belion Kipsang.
By PSCU.