The university said lecturers had shown a willingness to resume teaching/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 1 – The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) Senate has ordered a resumption of academic activities at the institution beginning Wednesday following normalization of operations.
In a memo to all staff members and students, Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration, Planning, and Infrastructure, Prof Joseph Kiplang’at on Monday said all staff participating in the ongoing national lecturers’ strike had signed commitment forms indicating their willingness to resume teaching.
“It has emerged that an overwhelming number of staff members are willing and ready to continue discharging their duties,” the memo read in part.
Prof Kiplang’at said the university remained committed to efforts being made at various levels to resolve issues around the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement which led to the downing of tools by public university staff on March 1.
The institution did not, however, clarify whether the timetable for the January-April semester which has been grossly affected by the nationwide lecturers’ strike will be reviewed to recover the time lost.
Just about a week ago, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disclosed that the latest strike by lecturers, the fourth in less than 15 months had unearthed major issues of concern she said needed to be dealt with decisively and conclusively.
“Time has come to make resolute and necessary decisions to restore the quality of learning in our universities. Most of these decisions will be unpopular but of immense value to the future of this country and our children and so we will go ahead and make these decisions,” she said during a press conference on Thursday ahead of an inaugural meeting by an inter-ministerial committee constituted to review the provision of higher education in public universities.
According to the CS, an interaction with a number of stakeholders including student leaders had revealed increasing cases of lethargy among lecturers resulting in unattended classes.
She said a number of lecturers had diverted their attention to part-time classes in private universities leaving students in public universities without the much-needed student-tutor contact hours.
“Most of the members of the teaching staff seldom attend classes and this is something student leaders we’ve spoken to have confirmed,” the CS said.
“Module and university hopping is a challenge that dilutes the essential student-professor contact required in higher education,” the CS pointed out.
She also said the ministry was investigating cases of diversion of funds in public universities which have continued to hamper efforts for capacity building.
The announcement came amid concerns by university workers, including lectures, who have accused public university councils of failure to submit statutory payments.
-Previous Strikes-
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), representing lectures and sister union representing non-teaching university staff had at the beginning of the January-April semester in 2017 called for a strike that lasted 54 days as they demanded the negotiation of the 2013-2017 CBA.
The 54-day strike was called off on March 13, 2017, after a Sh 10 billion CBA which saw a 17.5 and 3.9 per cent increment in salaries and house allowances of lecturers.
The strike was later reignited on July 3 after UASU faulted the government for defaulting on the agreed upon payment schedule.
The second strike for the year was called off on July 18 UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga saying the union had received a legally binding commitment by the government that the CBA will be honoured.
In the third strike called on November 1, after UASU protested the implementation of the 2013-2017 CBA in two phases the first sum – Sh 4.8 billion – being wired to universities in June under the 2016/17 Financial Year.
The remaining amount of Sh 5.2 billion was transmitted late November under the 2017/18 Fiscal Year amid a paralysis in public universities.
The strike dragged on until December 9 when UASU signed a return-to-work formula which introduced a new clause requiring negotiations for the 2017-2021 CBA to commence on December 18 and be concluded by January 31. This clause triggered the current strike.
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