From Nams UnderstandingTeachers’ Demands from the National Govt. Budget and Trends Over Time January 9, 2015 Kenyan Facts Teachers under two unions started a country-wide strike this week,with a list of demands aimed at getting better pay. In a way this has created a a huge national debate on whether teachers have agenuine reason to ask for betterpay or whether the Government isbeing unfair to teachers by not compensating them in line with their productivity.Conspicuously missing from this discussion are the numbers that should really be the center of the discussion. What exactly are these demands by the Unions? What are the costs of these demands? If we are to factor the demands in our national budget,how much money do we need to allocate theTeachers Service Commission?I went through a couple of budget books to try and get some answersto these questions and hopefully add something to the discussion. (1)-The total number of teachers between 2010/11 and 2014/15 has increased from 226,435 to 273,135. A 21%rise in staff numbers. In the same period the total salary wants up by Sh 78 billion a 89% increase. The average monthly pay for the periodrose from Sh32,000 to justunder 49,000. (2)-Generally, the salaries have been rising in modest sub-20% levels for this period (3)-The TSC budget increased by 89% during the preriod,this is very similar to the total salaries because almost all the allocations to TSC go towards payment of teachers salariesThis is a list of the demands that I got but Iam told they could be more. 1-KNUT wants a basic salary increase 200%-300%, 2- House allowance at50% of basic salary, 3-Hardship allowance 50% of basic salarly,unfortunately the number of teachers working in hardship areas was not available but I got an article that mentioned 95,000 teachers are considered to be working in hardship areas. 4-Teachers handling special needs students to get allowance 50% of their basic salaries. I could not find the number of these teachers so there is no cost figure for this demand, 5-Principals to get a responsibility allowance 60% of their basic salaries.In calculating this I made the assumption that each school has only one principal, 6-Deputy principals to get a responsibility allowance 40% of their basic salaries.The assumption was each school can only have one deputy principal, 7-Head teachers to get a responsibility allowance 50% of their basic salaries.Same assumption here that each primary school has one head teacher. The average salary was used to calculate this cost but this could be higher, 8-Senior teachers to also get are sponsibility allowance pegged at 30% of their basic salaries. I did not get the number of these teachers and no cost is calculated for it. 9-Heads of departments to get a responsibility allowance 30% of the basic salary. At the secondary school level, I made the assumption that there are 9 subjects taught in each secondary and each will have a department head. However, many schools have more and thiscost could be higher. 10- Heads of departments inprimary schools to get 30%of basic salary as aresponsibility allowance.The assumption here, eachprimary school teachersfive subjects.Putting all this together the totalamount come to Sh420.5billion, the amount needed tomeet KNUT’s demands. If weassume that the union will haveits way then we have to allocateSh 586 billion to TSC. That isabout 53% of the total recurrentbudget in 2014/15Sources: Budget ExpenditureEstimate Books and the KenyaEconomic Survey,2014
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 18:39:32 +0000
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