JSS Teachers To Smile After National Budget Reading
Teachers hired by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for junior secondary schools (JSS) have been coping with the hard reality of unpaid salary.
The government employed these educators to help with the Competency Based Curriculum rollout and to solve the teacher shortage. But since then, for a variety of reasons, they have not gotten their salaries.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have both expressed outrage over this regrettable circumstance.
According to Teachersupdates.co.ke, JSS teacher pay, including arrears, would be paid out following the reading of the national budget.
The urgent need for the TSC to execute its duty and pay the unpaid payments owed to these committed educators is stressed by both unions.
The impacted instructors have experienced tremendous financial hardship and psychological suffering as a result of the payment delay.
The plight of JSS teachers has been made worse by the late payments of salaries, which have left many of them in debt and unable to cover their essential expenses.
The same JSS teachers are required to buy all of their own teaching supplies, such as chalk, pens, writing pads, and textbooks. KUPPET says.
As one of their work benefits, the group medical plan was promised to the intern instructors.
They have yet to get these benefits, which has made their financial struggles even worse.
The government’s dedication to the wellbeing of its teachers and their access to necessary healthcare treatments is called into doubt in light of this circumstance.
In order to promote the prompt payment of the salary owing to JSS teachers, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have joined forces.
Leading members of both unions have encouraged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to address this critical matter, including Henry Obwocha, Kuppet’s secondary education secretary, Ronald Tonui, national vice-president of Kuppet, and Julius Korir, Kuppet’s vice-president at large.
They stress that because of the TSC’s payment delay, these teachers’ ability to support their families has been severely harmed.
Some JSS teachers have only gotten one month’s pay since being hired, notes Ronald Tonui, national deputy treasurer of Kuppet.
The instructors’ morale has suffered greatly as a result of this departure from accepted procedure, which has made the already unstable situation in JSS even worse.
Many of these teachers commute long distances to work, working at designated locations without access to their assigned living accommodations. As a result, they are unable to pay for their family’s medical expenditures or afford to get them to and from work.
The impacted instructors have been under a tremendous amount of stress as a result of their underpaid salary and these difficult circumstances, which has resulted in psychological discomfort.
Negative Effects on Education Quality
The efforts to raise the standard of education in Kenya are undermined by the delay in wage payments to JSS teachers.
Children’s futures are profoundly influenced by their teachers, so it is vital that they are timely and adequately compensated for their diligent efforts.
Teachers’ commitment and motivation are jeopardized by the failure to fulfill these financial commitments, which also sends a depressing message to them.
These instructors’ financial struggles are made worse by the fact that some of them are forced to turn to shylocks and loan sharks for cash support.
As a result, the overall educational environment suffers since it may be difficult for teachers to concentrate on providing their students with a high-quality education while they are under financial strain.
Mr. Tonui highlights the gravity of the situation and demands that the TSC take quick action to resolve the issue of unpaid salaries.
The instructors are facing extreme challenges, including having their homes locked by landlords for unpaid rent and being unable to pay for their families’ transportation or medical care.
These teachers have experienced severe psychological suffering as a result of the circumstance, which has harmed their general wellbeing and capacity for good classroom performance.
The TSC must fulfill its obligation and make sure that these deserving educators receive their salaries on schedule given the importance of their position and the impact of their work.
Currently, JSS instructors report to elementary school principals, which has made reporting difficult.
The Competency Based Curriculum may fail as a result of this organizational structure since elementary schools might not have the resources to support the new program.
“Kuppet demands that JSS teachers be paid all of their salary arrears,” said Mr. Misori.
JSS Teachers To Smile After National Budget Reading
