The Latest Education News Today – Education Newsbyte Highlights

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Education News Highlights, Today

🖊️##TSC owes teachers Sh1bn’ in acting allowances

Teachers in acting capacities are owed Sh1 billion, according to their union, which now wants to renegotiate their pay deal with the government, claiming the current one stagnates their careers.

Hon Omboko Milemba, the national chairman of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), has accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of failing to confirm teachers who work in acting positions for a long time.

He said this amounts to bills for services rendered but not paid for, adding that the union is undertaking research to quantify the amount owed to such teachers.

“This is a pending bill that’s not quantified. This is an exploitation of labour by the TSC and the government. I’ve put a question in Parliament but I’m doing research with my office staff to back the numbers. It’s become impossible to be promoted unless you’re in administration,” said Mr Milemba, who is also the MP for Emuhaya constituency. He said the most affected are teachers in grades C3 and C4.
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🖊️##CS Machogu clarifies fee increment for secondary schools

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu has clarified a move by the government to scrap the subsidy on secondary school fees.

Machogu while speaking at Wajir High school on Wednesdays said the move was occasioned by a return to normalcy in the school calendar.

“From January 23, we will have three terms the way it used to be before so the fees structure remains the same as that of two years ago,” Machogu said.

Parents will have to pay Sh53,554 for national schools, as was before the reduction.
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🖊️##Kenya High chief principal posted to Australia

Mrs Mulatya confirmed to the Nation that she has been transferred from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to the Public Service Commission, pending her move to Australia as the education attaché “as soon as possible”.
The Kenya High School is one of the consistent top performing national schools. Mrs Mulatya told the Nation that she handed over to her deputy (administration) Ms Irene Omangi yesterday (Monday) Ms Omangi will be in-charge of the school until the new chief principal Virginia Wahome takes over.
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🖊️## I fear going to my Kikuyu office over CDF — Ichung’wah

He said about 105 constituents camp at his office looking for bursaries

In August, the Supreme Court of Kenya declared CDF illegal.
The MP urged the Judiciary to be sensitive to the needs and aspirations of Kenyans, listen to the people even as they listen to activists.
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🖊️## Why Education ministry returned Sh758m untouched as hunger ravaged children

Education Cabinet Minister Ezekiel Machogu appeared on Wednesday before the Senate Health Committee and was at pains to explain why the ministry returned Sh758 million amid a devastating drought that drove thousands of children to drop out of school.

Explaining the refund to the committee led by vice-chairperson Peris Tobiko, the government agency in charge of the programme cited the high cost of food products.

High food prices exceeded the ministry’s set limit for school food procurement, said an official from the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK).

“It is true in the last financial year, close to Sh758 million was returned … to the exchequer because we could not buy food. Food prices were so high,” explained NACONEK director Yussuf Harun.

“We have a payment system that restricts prices. Rice alone was going for about Sh7,400 yet the price was limited to Sh5,300. There was no way we could buy food. That is why you saw hunger in most schools.”

Dispelling claims that the feeding programme was discontinued, Mr Machogu said the government was funding it, including a budgetary allocation of Sh1.96 billion this financial year.
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🖊️## Japan to offer rugby scholarships to Kenyan students

Hiraku Company Limited Chief Executive Officer, Toshiaki Hirose, who is also a former Japan national rugby team captain, said they will grant scholarships to promising rugby talent to pursue their dreams in the world of sport and academics in Japan from Kenya.
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~Newsbyte