Nairobi — Primary and secondary schools were set to reopen for second term on Monday amid challenges in processing of salaries for newly employed Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers.
Learners across country were making last-minute travel arrangement to report on Monday even as the Ministry of Education directed school heads and County Education Directors to enforce strict new measures on the safety of learners.
The Second Term will run for 14 weeks to August 11 with a mid-term break slated for June.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said the Ministry had issued a circular directing schools to be extra vigilant on what learners consume and ensure they are well inspected.
"We have issued a circular asking everyone to be cautious with water and food that our students take, taking into consideration the schools that have had cases because of contaminated food and water," Machogu said on Friday.
Speaking during the seventh Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) graduation for Diploma in Education Leadership in Management, Machogu cautioned teachers against corporal punishment which he insisted remains banned.
He added that the food and water for the students will be properly inspected by experts to ensure it is fit for human consumption.
"Make sure that the food that students eat in school is properly inspected and that the water is checked every time. It should be inspected by experts to make sure it is fit for human consumption to avoid the kind of situation we got into in some of our schools," the CS advised.
Machogu also cautioned teachers against meting out corporal punishment on students.
"Once any teacher indulges in that habit of corporal punishment to our students, that is actually a criminal activity, inform teachers to desist from that habit taking root in the country."
Salary delays for JSS teachers
The reopening of schools comes at a time teachers unions have raised concerns over delays in processing of salaries for newly hired teachers.
In a statement on May 3, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) decried the status of JSS tutors, even as it demanded their remuneration.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said JSS teachers should be paid their salary arrears before the start of second term.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"KUPPET demands that JSS teachers be paid all their salary arrears before the beginning of the new school term next week, as well as be promptly paid for their time and expenses in the ongoing trainings for the new curriculum," he said in a press held in Niarobi.
"The union calls upon the government to reflect and reconsider the place of JSS to avert inevitable collapse of the new CBC curriculum due to low infrastructural capacity in primary schools and unclear reporting channels whereby JSS teachers work under primary school head-teachers."
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recruited 35,550 JSS teachers who reported to their stations in February and March.
The commission said the recruits were given 30 days within which to report to their stations. It attributed salary hitches to the variance in reporting.
"This sometimes causes delays in the processing of their salaries. So far, the commission has processed over 50 per cent of the salaries of the newly employed teachers. Teachers can confirm the payments with their banks," said the TSC.
The commission assured it had put in place measures to resolve the challenges.
"All efforts are being made to affect all the salaries in May," TSC said advising teachers affected to contact the Director, Human Resource Management and Development."
