President Uhuru Kenyatta has welcomed the signing of an agreement between teachers and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) terming it a historic move that will improve education.
The President said the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is a good sign for future discussions between teachers and their employer.
“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,” he said.
The President was speaking Wednesday at State House, Mombasa after a meeting TSC and KNUT top officials.
The CBA , which was signed Tuesday, introduces among other things an alternative dispute resolution mechanism that will end the perennial strikes that dogged the education sector in the past.
President Kenyatta said good working relationship 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 when they are doing their exams.
“The whole purpose of working together is to ensure that we give our children a firm foundation on which to build their future,” he said.
President Kenyatta also assured the teachers and other public servants that the government is committed to improving their welfare. TSC Chairperson Lydia Nzomo said the CBA protects students and pupils by ensuring learning is not disrupted.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion and Chairman Mudzo Nzili said the successful implementation of the CBA will entrench the tripartite relationship between the union, the government and TSC.
“With the signing of the CBA, Kenya has entered into the annals of history as a country that respects the rights of teachers,” Mr Sossion said.
President Kenyatta also met the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) national chairman Omboka Milemba who also praised the CBA.
The meetings were also attended by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and his Principal Secretary Richard Belion Kipsang. ( The Presidential Strategic Communications Unit contributed to this report).
