John Njagi
6 July 2008
Nairobi — The government will deliver on its pre-election promise to review the salaries of primary school teachers, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka said on Saturday.
Mr Musyoka told a meeting of primary school head teachers in Central Province that the matter will be discussed by government officials and the decision announced.
The government, he said, will recruit 6,000 more teachers to help ease the shortage of teachers brought about by increased enrolment in primary schools.
Mr Joseph Karuga, the executive chairman of the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA), told the vice-president that the implementation of the pledge made by the government back in 2006 was long overdue.
"We have known the government to keep promises and we urge you to fulfil this one as it will go a long way in motivating the teachers," said Mr Karuga.
The KEPSHA Central Province annual delegates meeting held at Temple Road Hall in Nyeri Town ended on Saturday.
The demand for salary increment was among 12 resolutions arrived at by the 400 delegates who attended the three-day meeting.
Mr Musyoka urged the head teachers to work together with the Ministry of Education to enforce discipline so as to curb student unrest in secondary schools.
He also urged them to accept to work wherever they were posted to across the country to promote peace and national cohesion.
"I am aware that a number of teachers and even pupils were displaced and even killed during the post-election violence but I urge you all to accept transfers to all regions in this country to help with the healing process," said the vice-president.
He told the meeting that he opted to join the government to help end the conflict but was labelled traitor by some of politicians.
Mr Musyoka urged MPs to use some of the money from the Constituency Development Fund to construct new schools and increase the capacity of the existing ones to taken in more pupils coming through the free primary education programme and those displaced by the post-election violence.
Mr Karuga urged the government to make available the free primary education funds early enough to ensure the smooth running of schools.
He also called on the government to increase the amount allocated per pupil from the current Sh1,020 implemented in 2003 to reflect changing economic realities. The cost of basic commodities, he observed, had increased by about 40 per cent but the allocations had remained the same.
Central Provincial Commissioner Japhter Rugut said the provincial administration was working closely with the education officials to ensure all school-going children in the region enrolled in schools.
"We currently have over 70,000 school-going children employed in coffee and rice plantations and this has to change," he said.
He urged the teachers to work with the authorities to ensure that the pupils did not engage in dangerous activities such as joining illegal sects and drug abuse.
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