UGANDA/KENYA: Kenyan and Ugandan teachers strike over working conditions and low wages

Record ID: 361761

  • Title: UGANDA/KENYA: Kenyan and Ugandan teachers strike over working conditions and low wages
  • Date: 8th September 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING IN SCHOOL COMPOUND VARIOUS OF JOAN JEPCHUMBA, STUDENT TEACHING CLASSMATES STUDENTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOAN JEPCHUMBA, STUDENT SAYING: "Since 2009, the teachers went on strike that year and they (government) would have done what they promised then and we would not be in this situation right now." JEPCHUMBA TEACHING VARIOUS OF E
  • Embargoed: 23rd September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya, Uganda
  • City:
  • Country: Uganda Kenya
  • Topics: Education
  • Reuters ID: LVA7PLFYRRH3RHNN1XUQJ4UVRBNP
  • Story Text: Hundreds of teachers marched through the Kenyan capital, Nairobi on the fourth day of a nationwide strike that has paralysed schools in the east African country, to urge the government to hire more teachers and increase their salaries.
    Learning has come to a near halt for over 10 million students at the start of the third school year term when students sit national exams as about 200,000 members of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) stay away from class.
    KNUT says it wants 28,000 new teachers hired on a permanent basis to cope with a surge in students after President Mwai Kibaki introduced free primary and secondary school education.
    "The teachers are the ones who have a burden and they are actually tired at the moment because the classes are very large. We can not be able to take care of 100 per class or 80," said Mary Njogu, a teacher.
    Kenya's Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday (September 7) the government could not afford to hire new teachers as demanded by the striking educators.
    Earlier on Kenyatta told parliament that some of the teachers had agreed to short-term contracts and that he had used most of the spare cash at his disposal to pay higher salaries to the military.
    Kenyatta also said additional money had been diverted to implement the country's new constitution, which was promulgated in August last year. He did not say when the government would be able to pay for new teachers.
    "The teacher's strike is going on as long as the 28,000 teachers are not being employed. The length of time we do not know, I think it is the government which knows how long this strike will take," said an unidentified teacher.
    At a city primary School, 14-year-old Joan Jepchumba, took on a teaching role by taking her class through some science questions.
    Above the board, a slogan read: "My own resolve to succeed is more important than the teacher watching over me."
    "Since 2009, the teachers went on strike that year and they (government) would have done what they promised then and we would not be in this situation right now," said Joan Jepchumba.
    On a normal day, this school would be buzzing with activity as 600 students attend classes.
    Across the border in Uganda, the situation is the same as teachers went on a strike for the second time this year on Monday (September 5th) after fruitless month-long talks with the government for a 100 percent pay rise.
    Older students at St. Peters primary school in Kampala kept their younger counterparts busy in class.
    Akakampumuza Baker, who's been teaching in what they now call 'class self help learning' says it has been a challenging experience trying to get the noisy students to pay attention.
    "I am able to help some few but it is not easy, it is just difficult," said Baker.
    Teachers first downed their tools in July, joining other Ugandans protesting over soaring living costs, before resuming talks with the government.
    "Now we are suffering, the teachers are not teaching any more because they need to be increased on their money, for us students we are here, we are supporting the increase on the teachers' money," said Christopher Mucunguzi, a student.
    The government said the latest strike was illegal and threatened to sack those participating.
    An official at the Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) told Reuters they had decided to resume their protest as schools reopen for a new term after the government insisted it could not meet the salary demands.
    Teachers, estimated to number 160,000, are some of the lowest paid civil servants in Uganda. On average, a primary teacher earns 250,000 shillings (88 US dollars) a month while secondary school counterparts take home 450,000 shillings.
    Although the government acknowledges teachers are underpaid, it says it does not have the money to fund a 100 percent rise and has promised to raise their salaries by 30 percent in the next financial year, which starts in July 2012.
    "We have seen the inflation is actually shooting up to almost 24 percent and a teacher goes with actually less than a hundred dollars per 30 days and that hundred dollars is a consolidated package, talk about accommodation, talk about medical fee, talk about school fees of children," said Exparito Kiseka, a teacher in Kampala.
    President Yoweri Museveni has faced mounting public pressure over the rising cost of living which he says is caused by high international fuel prices and temporary food shortages.
    Year-on-year headline inflation leapt to an 18-year high of 21.4 percent in August from 18.8 percent in July, fuelled by a weak local currency and rising food prices.
    Opposition-led demonstrations in April and May against sky-high prices of food and fuel prompted a government crackdown that killed nine people and injured hundreds
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