The medical cover for teachers, implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with their unions, and the employment of junior school tutors on permanent and pensionable terms are among the critical programmes that will be affected by the austerity measures announced by President William Ruto.
Also to be affected are promotions, compensation and training of teachers on the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on Wednesday told the National Assembly Education Committee that, following the announcement by President Ruto, their budgetary allocation was slashed by Sh10 billion.
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia told the lawmakers that the agency has since been directed by the National Treasury to spend only 15 percent of the remaining allocation, a move she said will now confine them to only paying salaries.
“When we received this communication from the National Treasury, we wrote to them highlighting what will be affected, but we have not received any feedback,” Ms Macharia said.
“This reduction will impact the compensation of teachers. As a result, the commission will not be able to implement the second phase of the 2021-2025 amended CBA between the commission and the teacher unions,” Ms Macharia said.
Another shocker awaiting teachers is that, starting December 1 this year, they will not be able to access medical insurance as the amount received this year is inadequate to cover the third phase of the contract.
“The teachers’ medical contract is a three-year framework now in its second year of implementation. The third year is expected to begin from December 1, 2024 at a cost of Sh20.668 billion. Therefore, the current allocation is inadequate to enable the commission to meet its financial commitment for Year Three of the contract,” Ms Macharia said.
“Further, there will be no group life, group personal accident and Work Injury Benefit Agreement covers for teachers,” she added.
The recruitment of 20,000 teachers and conversion of 46,000 interns to permanent and pensionable basis, which was to be done this month, have now been pushed to October 2024 and January 2025 respectively.
Although the money for this exercise has not been affected, Ms Macharia said, the directive from Treasury to only spend 15 percent gives them no opportunity to do anything else.
“If I’ve been told to only spend 15 percent, what can I do? If we are given the money today, then we are ready for the exercise because teachers might think that we have the money but have failed to recruit,” she said.
President Ruto, while announcing the austerity measures, assured the country that the employment of junior school teachers in permanent and pensionable terms would not be affected.
Ms Macharia told lawmakers training expenses of the commission have been reduced by Sh262 million, an amount that was earmarked for CBC training. Consequently, she said, the agency had no choice but to scale down the number of teachers to be trained this year.
Committee chair Julius Melly said the House would not allow teachers’ medical cover, the CBA and employment of junior school teachers to be affected, terming them “non-negotiable.”
“They must be implemented. I want to assure teachers that there is no cause for alarm as this committee will not allow anything to interfere with their medical cover and the agreement they signed with TSC,” he said while faulting Treasury for effecting the budget cuts as it would set the people against the government.
“The Gen Z are already out on the streets [protesting]. Do you now want their parents to join them over the failed implementation of CBA?” Mr Melly posed.
He gave the Treasury until today to issue an addendum on the austerity measures that have been imposed on the TSC.
However, Mr Nehemiah Odera from Treasury told MPs that the 15 percent cap that was put on all ministries and parastatals are temporary measures as the government awaits the passage of the Supplementary Budget 1.
“The medical cover and the CBA are not being dispensed with, they are just being delayed as we wait for the government revenues to align with the fiscal framework, then we will have a discussion with TSC on when to begin the implementation,” Mr Odera said.
The budget cuts are in line with President Ruto’s directive to the Treasury to prepare a supplementary budget to cut national expenditure by Sh346 billion following the rejection of the Finance Bill.
