Kenya does not have teachers specifically trained for junior school and those deployed there are for secondary schools. Before the segment was taken to primary schools, it was referred to as junior secondary school. If passed, the policy will make powerful head teachers manning primary schools from pre-primary to Grade 9.

“To strengthen curriculum implementation in Basic Education, the government will adopt a 2-6-3-3-3 Education Structure and establish a comprehensive school system where all levels of learning from pre-primary to grade nine are managed as one institution under one head of institution,” the policy document reads in part.

Knut’s national deputy chairperson, Malel Langat, said the sessional paper is crucial for reforms in the education sector. He said passage of the sessional paper will bring to an end squabbles between junior school teachers and the head teachers.

Also at stake is the fate of the 46,000 junior school teachers who are currently affiliated to and pay agency fees to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) but who are also claimed by Knut.

“We urge all the MPs to hasten the passage of the Sessional Paper Number 10 of 2024 to help teachers and reform the sector because it was informed by the recommendations from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms,” Dr Langat said.

The dispute on Juniour School Teachers highlights a growing rivalry between the two unions over membership and the associated revenue.

KNUT claims that the Junior School teachers, who are now under permanent and pensionable terms after two years of internship, belong to them by virtue of their posting in primary schools.

The union’s secretary-general, Collins Oyuu, maintained that the teachers should not be under KUPPET’s jurisdiction, as they are stationed in primary institutions, not secondary schools.

“The JS teachers are in primary schools, which fall under Knut’s jurisdiction and not secondary schools, which are our sister union KUPPET’s grounds,” he said.

According to Oyuu, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been deducting agency fees from the JS teachers and remitting them to KUPPET, an action he criticised as unfair. He alleged that TSC’s actions were intended to create division between the two unions.

“We are currently driven by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, and the recommendation therein has no junior secondary school, but JS. It is a position recognised by the government. The JS teachers are in the primary section, and fall under the purview of KNUT,” Oyuu stated.

The policy is also expected to further expand the role of head teachers mandating them to take charge of pre-primary up to Grade 9.

The competency-based curriculum (CBC) was rolled out in 2019 through a phase-out and phase-in strategy of the 8-4-4 and 2-6-3-3-3 structures. The first cohort of the CBC is currently in Grade 9 and will transition to senior school next year.

Proprietors of private schools, through the chairperson of the Kenya Association of Private Schools Charles Ochome, said they have set up comprehensive schools while some private schools will have standalone senior schools.

“Many parents would want stand-alone senior. But we have comprehensive schools; those with big land can designate where they can have the pre-school, middle school, JS and SS,” he said.

Recently, Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu urged junior school teachers to work in harmony with their colleagues from the primary section.

“We are telling our young men and women teaching in junior school, which is domiciled in primary schools, that a teacher is a teacher. Do not think that another teacher is inferior to the other,” he said.

Mr Oyuu told the teachers to have proper relationships with the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association.

“These are the teachers manning ECDE, primary, and junior school, which are comprehensive schools,” he said, adding that the heads of institutions should be remunerated differently from their current salaries to reflect their added responsibilities.

The Sessional Paper addressed, among others, access, relevance, equity and quality, governance and financing as well as experience in the implementation of Competency Based Education (CBE).

According to the Sessional Paper, the number of pre-primary schools increased from 41,779 in 2017 to 46,652 in 2022, while that of primary schools increased from 30,354 to 31,464. The number of secondary schools recorded a growth from 8,958 to 10,390.

During the same time, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for pre-primary improved from 77.1 percent to 111.2 percent. In secondary education, gross enrolment grew from 1.9 million to 3.9 million.

At the primary education level, the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) was 41 for public schools and 24 for private schools. At the secondary level, public schools had a pupil-teacher ratio of 29 compared to 14 in private schools.

The policy further states that the government will review the curriculum to rationalise the learning areas, and curriculum designs in tandem with local, regional and international trends.

The State will also review the categorisation of public secondary schools and provide for the selection and placement of learners into career pathways in Senior School, and promote equitable access to schooling and learning.

Once passed, the policy will mandate the government to review and implement capitation grants at all levels of basic education institutions, and establish a Minimum Essential Package (MEP) capitation for Basic Education institutions, and enhance national and county government consultations on financing pre-primary education.

Other gains include strengthening fiscal management and audit function in basic education institutions; developing and implementing a framework to regulate the acquisition of school uniforms in basic education institutions; developing a legal framework to streamline the management and coordination of scholarships and bursaries; developing a framework for resource allocation, resource sharing and stakeholder participation in learning.

On its part, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) wants the Juniour Schools to be run by Secondary School Teachers and even moved to Senior School Level (current secondary schools).

Oyuu further insisted that the Labour Relations Act clearly outlines that union membership is voluntary and requires filling out a membership form, which he said the JS teachers had not done in favour of KUPPET.

“The law is very clear on the membership of a trade union by teachers. The Labour Relations Act states that one becomes a member of a union by filling a membership form, which has not happened in the current case,” he said.

He explained that membership should be determined by where a teacher’s services are based, reinforcing Knut’s position.

“The constituency of a union’s membership is based on where one’s services are domiciled. If your services are domiciled in primary school, you are a member of KNUT, and if you are in secondary, you are a member of the KUPPET,” Oyuu added.

Meanwhile, Section 49 of the Labour Relations Act states that workers who benefit from a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated by a union are required to pay agency fees, even if they are not union members.