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FIVE WEEKS LATER
The reality of empty bank accounts belonging to 288,060 teachers with 40,000 claimed to have been paid, denote an enormous injury for the teachers. It has been a take up arms between the Teachers Service Commission and the teachers’ unions, which has led to the government showing a valiant spirit of defying court orders. After a long cross swords, it’s a question of who had the last laugh between the TSC and the teachers. Mr Justice Abuodha ordered that there would be no victimization of teachers and their September salary, but according to the Secretary General William Sossion , TSC and the government are up to the violation of those orders. The unions have put it clear that they have suspended their strike for 90 days as ordered by the court, it however remains unclear; should we expect another strike early 2016? Let this be pondered because the unions expect the government to comply with the court order awarded by Justice Nduma Nderi awarding teachers 50-60 per cent pay rise.
The bell rang today on 5th October 2015 for assembly after 34 days later after schools were desserted and padlocks remained on the gates in all Public Schools. Teachers were on low tones and could not fail to show their disappointment on the back to class order. They had nothing to rejoice about and hence the learners as innocent as they looked; they could not understand why the “holiday” was too long. Perhaps the USA president Barack Obama changed term dates when he visited Kenya in July. It is for fact that all the candidates fear had started to practically eat a hole in their hearts because they were uncertain of undertaking their national examinations which hang around. The teachers had an opportunity to encourage the learners to embark on their school work, having in mind that examinations are just about to start.
The whole controversy will then shift to the relief teachers employed by TSC this week on contract basis. The TSC had earlier advertised 70,000 vacancies for teachers, which looked like a weapon to scare teachers, especially those who are about to retire and those who had received posting letters in August. The employment and Labour relations Court Judge Nduma Nderi stopped TSC from hiring the teachers which is a case filed by the Trade Union Congress of Kenya. Rumour has it that 10,000 applicants had already entered an agreement of three months before the exercise was stopped. To these teachers, confusion and nightmare will mingle together before the whole issue is resolved by the court. Since everybody is moving to court for justice, the relieved teachers may also move to the court to seek for fair play. There is still a huge shortage of teachers in Public schools. Instead of the TSC taking these teachers into a contract basis, it is actually an opportunity of employing them permanently.
After five weeks on strike, teachers’ expectation has to be put on pending and lamentably enough, the teachers lack the pay rise as well as their September salary. They have gone back to their duties mournful and thinking of unpaid September bills. The schemes work and lesson plans were ready for the content to be delivered today, despite the teachers’ employer shying away from addressing the September salary issue. Teaching is a call and therefore, teachers have opted go back to school to perform their task diligently. The parents and learners especially the candidates, have a reason to smile again following the back to class order. Teachers weep NOT.
Chemistry, ain’t ready!
Am not ready for Biology, and heck am not ready for Chemistry and to be more precise, me myself and I are not ready for the entire 2015 Kenya National Examination, which starts on 12th October. I feel like my rights have been violated by the people I trusted the most and I won’t let any folk drag me into blaming my teacher, neither will I blame myself. This very moment, I wish I was the Cabinet Secretary for education or even an official at the Kenya National Education Council because, I would act with speed and precision to save the suffering students of Kenya. The issue of the teachers strike has dug a hole in my heart and what I am feeling is what animals feel when an earthquake looms. Spare me your opinions since I don’t have phobia for examinations neither am I an indisciplined student because trust me, I have never been summoned to the principal’s office.
What troubles me even more is this question, Who the hell will mark my exams? Rumour has it that it could be the NYS, the mention of NYS makes my heart jump into my throat. Perhaps it could be the Kenya Defense Forces which leaves me more faint-hearted that they will confuse my well written composition paper for an Al-shabaab leaflet. Therefore, let me remain idealistic that our teachers will soon go back to school and take us through the examination process. But even with the return of the teachers to schools, I still insist that am not ready for Chemistry. My classroom hours have not been utilized well and yet I will still yell. My teacher completed the syllabus but she was to go through remedial classes during the entire third term. Even as I lament now, the topic Matrix gives me a migraine and what saddens me most is that, the last time I had a talk with my dear teacher, she assured me that this term, she would take my dismay on disturbing topics.
Somebody needs to revisit children’s rights because I have a feeling that somebody has slept on his/her job. My guardians have invested so much in my education through a lot of strain, and they have high expectations from me. My counter parts at Private Schools are doing final touches on revision and I know they won’t suffer the panic that I will go through, especially the initial day of examination. I think the invigilators should let the ‘Mwakenya’ trend in examination rooms in 2015. This won’t be cheating; on contrary esteemed Kenyans, the students will be confirming what the teachers had taught them earlier. Is it not so, that the teachers confirm the answers from a pile of books too when marking our exams? Yes they do for accuracy.
It won’t be a blow to me that mine will remain a voice in the wilderness because my feelings are so true and real. The consequences will be so bitter in that it will affect the youth of tomorrow and that generation is us, the 2015 candidates. Failure in exams will not be received with gratification but instead, there will be a lot of disappointment in every student who will have performed unsatisfactorily. Some will not even attain grades which will enable them join secondary schools of their preferences. And to form four leavers, the reality will dawn to them that courses that they intend to pursue will be out of the question. It is alleged that the government of Kenya has been trying to curb the menace of drug abuse and youth radicalization. If so therefore, I don’t know what this honoured government is doing to ensure that more youth do not become vulnerable to the same. Let it be known today that the outcome will bring awful repercussions in us who are the youth of tomorrow. Oh! The migraine again.
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