The Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) on Wednesday, October 30, issued new demands to the government over the supervision allowances that teachers are paid to monitor and supervise national examinations.
Speaking during a meeting in Kisii, the teachers asserted that the government has subjected them to meager pay despite their sacrifices in ensuring the smooth administration and marking of examinations across the country.
The teachers announced that they will now demand the government to pay them Ksh6,000 per day, up from the current Ksh600 that most teachers currently receive for their services.
''We are telling the government that teachers who are invigilating and supervising(the examinations) are underpaid. A supervisor is paid Ksh600 a day, which is less than the money paid to someone who works in the informal sector such as a construction handyman,’’ Joseph Abincha, KUPPET Kisii Branch General Secretary stated.
''We are telling the government, we are not telling the Kenya National Examinations Council(KNEC) that the teachers are not going to be used to give free services,’’ he added.
The KUPPET officials added that it was unfair for the government to continue paying them small amounts despite the intensified tax cuts that the government has instituted on their payslips.
They cited the Social Health Insurance Fund(SHIF) and the Housing Levy deductions saying that whatever they are left with can no longer sustain their daily needs.
Further, they argued that it was unfair for the government to take away the medical allowance schemes that they had been enjoying before the introduction of SHIF.
‘’It is very clear that our teachers are not happy with the 2.75 percent deductions towards the medical scheme contribution, SHIF, because our teachers lost the medical allowance scheme,’’ Edward Obwocha, a KUPPET official added.
This comes as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations are gearing up, with 1,313,913 candidates slated to begin writing their papers on Monday, November 4.
The examinations began on October 22, but the main papers will take place starting November 4, with students at over 32,573 centers set to begin with the English and Chemistry exams.
