The Union’s Secretary General Musau Ndunda says they will go to the streets with their children until the government heeds to the teachers demands/FILE
The Union’s Secretary General Musau Ndunda says they will go to the streets with their children until the government heeds to the teachers demands.
Ndunda said the issue of teachers strike is not being given a priority like other national issues.
“We are directing all parents and school management committees or boards to move out of their homes tomorrow morning with their children and join the teachers in their street demonstration across the country,” Ndunda said.
“It is very bad that over 10.6 million children in our schools are now at home with their parent’s not knowing what to do.”
Ndunda said they were demanding to know from MPs why they had failed to discuss the current standoff and offer a permanent solution.
He urged the government to shelf the idea of laptops to standard one kids and instead divert the money to employ more teachers.
“We want the government to tell us how they intend to implement the programme. We don’t want experiments with tax payer’s money,” he said.
“This is a very serious issue, we want enough teachers, classrooms and we want to see a changed country.”
Musau revealed that they had given a notice to sue the government for general damages incurred by the parents during the strike.
Earlier on Sunday, the umbrella Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya, led by the Federation’s Chairman Bishop Joseph Methu, challenged both the Government and teachers to drop their hard line stand so as to end the ongoing strike.
They also want the 1997 agreement taken to the High Court to determine its legality.
“That is why we want the matter to be taken to the High Court for determination on the legality of the agreement. We should not argue on baseless things when there are courts here,” he noted.
The federation Chairman pleaded with both government and teachers unions not to take hard lines positions and instead let dialogue take place. “This will be the only way that we can end the stalemate,” he said.
Methu noted that it was the right of teachers to call for higher pay but they should do it in a sober manner so as not to punish innocent children and parents.
“This should not be done in total disregard of innocent pupils’ right to be taught and their parents right to quality and value for their investment in the education sector,” he noted.
He said that the church was concerned in statements being issued by the teachers and some government officials.
“We in the federation call for sobriety in the handling of the strike. We urged the Jubilee government and the teachers unions to expedite the process of dialogue within the prevailing economic status,” he observed.
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