Man oh man, everyday as I read in the news I kinda feel like teachers are probabaly the most unappreciated workers here in Kenya and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is in a real pickle! They’ve received a measly amount of funds to pay their hardworking examiners and invigilators for the year 2022. And let me tell you, it’s not looking good for them.
The Council managed to scrape together a grand total of sh. 675 million from the National Treasury. Now, that may sound like a lot, but it’s nowhere near enough to cover the salaries of over 40,000 teachers who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into those national exams.
They did manage to cough up some cash to pay the contracted professionals for the Kenya Primary School Examinations (KPSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). But that’s about it. It’s like giving a starving man a single grain of rice and expecting him to be satisfied. Come on, KNEC, you can do better than that!
When the Basic Education Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang, had to face the music and answer some tough questions from the Senate House Education Committee in February, he spilled the beans. According to him, KNEC needs a whopping Sh1 billion to pay all those exhausted examiners. He even mentioned that they have until August to make it rain on those teachers.
But here’s the kicker: the Ministry of Education apparently needs a wake-up call. They had all this time to prepare and allocate funds, yet they fell short. Classic government move, if you ask me. Always promising more than they can deliver.
So why the delay, you may ask? Well, it seems that the government coffers were as dry as the Sahara Desert they were broke. Not a penny to spare. And when there’s no money, guess who suffers? Yep, you guessed it—the hardworking teachers who deserve every penny for their tireless efforts.
But fear not! The treasury claims to be stable now, and they’ve released funds left, right, and center. Full disbursements to the counties, NHIF remittances—you name it, they’ve got the cash for it. So, why can’t they set some aside for the teachers who are keeping our education system afloat during those crucial exam times?
Some lawmakers on the House Education Committee had a brilliant idea to solve this mess. They suggested creating a special fund specifically for paying these teachers. You know, a dedicated pot of money that says, “Hey, we value your hard work and dedication. Here’s a little something extra for your efforts.”
It’s about time we give credit where credit is due. These teachers are the unsung heroes of our education system. They sacrifice their time, energy, and sanity to ensure that our kids have a fair shot at success. And what do they get in return? A big fat IOU.
So, KNEC, get your act together. Pay those teachers what they deserve. Let’s create a system that appreciates and rewards our educators. After all, they’re the ones shaping the minds of tomorrow.