Why Teachers May Not Mark National Exams Again

Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori
Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori
File

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) on Friday, July 6, asked its teachers not to take up any Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) jobs including marking national examinations until payment policies are developed and implemented. 

KUPPET Secretary General, Akelo Misori, noted that teachers who were contracted to mark the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education have not been paid four months after being involved in the exercise.

“In light of this grave violation, the union asks all its members to boycott all KNEC exercises until teachers’ compensations issues are addressed through a framework of a Collective Bargaining Agreement,” Misori stated.

The Secretary General also asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to step in and ensure that the money is released to teachers immediately.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary-General Akelo Misori speaks to the media in Nairobi on January 15, 2020.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary-General Akelo Misori speaks to the media in Nairobi on January 15, 2020.
File

Misori also urged the TSC to develop and implement policies guiding the involvement of teachers by other government agencies.

“In particular, the commission should join KUPPET in pushing for the development of regulations for the management of examinations as envisaged under the KNEC Act,” Misori stated.

He also noted that KNEC has been subjecting teachers to poor working conditions including travelling, accommodation, and remuneration during marking exercises.

“To add insult to injury, the council is currently reviewing its regulations to further burden teachers by merging examination centers and cutting back on the already poor compensation per script,” Misori noted.

KNEC ordered schools with less than 30 KCPE and KCSE candidates to register their students in the neighboring schools, something that Misori says will erode the autonomy of schools, increase examiners distance, and undermine the security of examination materials.

In 2020, some 227,679 teachers were recruited as invigilators, supervisors, center managers, and examiners.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Omboko Milemba (right) and Secretary General Akello Misori during a past address.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Omboko Milemba (right) and Secretary-General Akello Misori during a past address.
Daily Nation