ARE TEACHERS REVENGING ON THE GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO PAY THEM?

Despite schools re-opening barely three days ago after a month-long teachers’ strike, students from Thika schools and its environs are back home after being sent home for school fees this Friday morning.

When we talked to a few parents in Thika Town about the issue they contested the move by schools to send learners home, saying the schools should have instead waive part of the fees as their children would not be spending the entire third term calendar in the institutions.

“Imagine these kids have been at home for a whole month during which we took care of them with part of the funds that we were to pay as school fees. These principles should give parents time to look for money,” said one of the parents we talked to.

There has been a general feeling that some teachers are still on a go-slow as they are yet to get their September salaries. It is assumed that teachers are behaving the way they are doing as a revenge mission or out of frustration by the government's failure to honour the pay rise that led them to go on strike in the first place.

The biggest losers here are the students and their parents. The parents have to pay school fees regardless whether their children were taught or not. Their immediate concern is whether students will make up for the lost time, especially those scheduled to sit for national examinations. 

Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates will start writing their examinations next week on Monday 12th October while the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates will sit for their exams from November 10th.