unions

Kenya: KUPPET wants teachers cushioned from Covid-19 effects

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Africa/Kenya/07-05-2020/Author: Muraya Kamunde/Source: www.kbc.co.ke

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) now wants the Education Ministry to cushion over 72,000 Board of Management teachers from the adverse economic effects during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Since the first case of Covid19 in Kenya was announced on 13th March 2020 subsequent closure of schools on 15th March 2020, about 72,000 workforces of teachers comprising of what is commonly referred to as Board of Management (BOM) teachers lost their jobs,” said KUPPET National Chairman Omboko Milemba.

KUPPET chair said that over 120,000 teachers from private and public schools and the Board of Management teachers have been affected by Covid-19.

“Its three months down the lane and this group of workers are forgotten despite the fact they fill in appropriately the gap of lack of enough teachers in our schools. These groups of teachers together with their counterparts in private schools have families which depend on them,” he said.

The union boss further questioned the decision by the Ministry of Education to recall Ksh 720 million activity money that had been sent to public schools.

He asked the Ministry to use part of that money to the affected teachers and support staff that has not been paid their salaries for the last three months because of non-remittance of capitation from the ministry to schools.

“These are extraordinary times and the Ministry must also deal with its workers in an extraordinary way that is humane and considerate,” he added.

Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/kuppet-wants-teachers-cushioned-from-covid-19-effects/

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Nicosia: ‘No light at the end of the tunnel’ in education crisis (Updated)

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By: cyprus-mail.com/ 08-08-2018

The education ministry on Monday said it has given teaching unions all the measures decided by the cabinet earlier in the month over the streamlining of state schools, but the unions said the ongoing negotiations between the two sides were going nowhere.

The boards of the unions – Oelmek, Poed, Oltek – will meet on Tuesday to continue discussions, first separately and then together. Further action will depend on the ministry’s response on Wednesday.

According to the head of the Oelmek secondary teachers’ union, Yiannos Socratous, initial, oral replies from the education minister, “leave no room for a positive outcome.”

The discussion so far concerned procedural matters and not substantive ones, Socratous said.

Since July 2, the unions and the ministry have been at loggerheads over a decision by the ministry to end the reduction in teaching hours according to length of service and an attempt by the government to streamline teachers’ duties. The two sides have agreed on an intensive dialogue – launched last week – in a bid to reach a consensus to ensure the smooth opening of schools in September.

Socratous said on Sunday after a meeting of the three unions with the ministry, that there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

In a statement he had made in the presence of other union officials, he said a dialogue which cannot lead to solutions obviously cannot continue.

“After four days of intensive consultations, we are at a stage where you can see that there is no progress, at least not as much as we would like,” he said.

He said the unions put their contributions in writing on Friday.

Socratous said the minister has made an initial statement and will send a letter of reply by Wednesday.

“what really worries us is that we are 25 days before the start of the new school year, 25 days before September 1, and in fact there do not seem to be signs that there is an end to all,” he said.

*Fuente: https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/08/06/no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-in-education-crisis/

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