Disband KNEC over exam leakage, else teachers won’t mark papers, unions threaten
MOMBASA: Education trade unions in Kenya have called for the disbandment of the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) over alleged leakages of this year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education KCSE.
The unions meeting in Mombasa on Friday evening threatened that teachers will boycott marking the examination if all Knec top officials do not resign or are sacked. Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Chairman Prof Sammy Kubasu blamed corruption over the examination leakage and also called on the government to pay teachers.
UASU, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu) under the Trade Union Congress-Kenya TUC-K called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to step in and end what they termed as "crises in the education sector."
"The level of examination leak is incomprehensible. What examinations are we going to mark? We don't want to mark marking schemes which students have prepared," posed Knut National Treasure John Matiang'i.
He said that Knec has failed to perfume its duties saying most of this year's form four examination papers had leaked and that President Uhuru Kenyatta move to deal with the issue.
"The fact is we will have students taking medicine or engineering courses who do not qualify but scored good grades because they cheat in this year's examinations," said Matiang'i.
Matiang'i added: "The trend has been that students protest and even go on strike whenever there are mock examinations because it is hard for them to get leaked exam paper but not Knec exams because it is easy to access the leaked exam papers.”
Trade Unions Congress- Kenya TUC-K Chairman Tom Odege said SRC should be disbanded given there are the Public Service Commission PSC, Judicial Service Commission and Teachers Service Commission TSC that negotiate salaries with employees.
They also resolved to start the collection of signature to force the disbandment of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) saying it was immaterial in salary negotiation.
"SRC is the biggest trade to the civil servants in this country and as trade unions we must fashion a common plan to take it head on.
Why negotiate salaries with respective commissions for SRC overrule the agreements without listening to our side," posed Odege.
He said that TUC-K members will be required to collect 10 signature which would total over 10 million to trigger
the constitutional amendment to remove SRC.
Odege said that TUC-K was aware that both the National and County Governments were planning to retrench employees as part of austerity measure to reduce the wage bill adding that they will oppose the move.
He said employees will not be punished for mistakes or blunders of the government that have plunged the country into a cash crunch. The Standard - Friday 23rd October 2015 - http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000180590/disband-knec-over-exam-leakage-else-teachers-won-t-mark-papers-unions-threaten