A section of teachers involved in the marking of national examinations threatened to boycott the exercise due to demands not met by the Ministry of Education.
Led by Kenya Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), accused the Ministry, of failing to implement some of their collective agreements.
Speaking in Njoro Sub-County during the annual meeting involving teachers’ representatives in Nakuru on Saturday, November 26, KUPPET deputy secretary general, Moses Thuranira, underscored the need for government to prioritise teachers’ concerns to avert the disruption of national exams.
Thuranira lamented that teachers’ enumerations during the marking exercise were lower than other officers’ earnings.
“Our teachers were asked not to report to the marking centres so that we will be able to negotiate for them better rates for the papers.
“We shall be able to negotiate for them because teachers are paid very poorly compared to others officers who are manning the examinations,” Thuranira stated.
Speaking at the same function, the KUPPET vice chairperson Julius Korir called on decentralising the marking centre from Nairobi to various parts of the country.
Offering a short-term solution to the government, Korir advised the Ministry of Education to increase the travelling allowances for teachers involved in the marking exercise.
“We shall not just sit and watch as teachers are being discriminated against or even forced to mark the exam papers with less pay. We want an increment for marking exams, and also their travel allowances increased,” Korir maintained.
The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) will run from Monday, November 28, to Wednesday, November 30. It will run concurrently with the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KEPSEA) for grade six pupils.
Form four candidates, on the other side, are set to start the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Examinations (KCSE) from Friday, December 2 to Friday, December 23.
The marking exercise is then set to start immediately after that before releasing the results in 2023.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE