2024/25 Budget: TSC, Education Allocation – Teachers CBA
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Education, Roads, and Defense sectors have been granted the highest funding in the estimates of Recurrent and development expenditure for the Financial Year 2024/25.
On Thursday, the National Assembly reviewed these estimates in preparation for next week’s budget reading, expressing concerns about the relatively low allocations for devolved functions such as health.
The Teachers Service Commission is set to receive Ksh 358.21 billion. The State Departments for Roads, Higher Education, and the Ministry of Defense have been allocated Ksh 199.3 billion, Ksh 127.9 billion, and Ksh 173 billion respectively.
The teachers Service commission CBA
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has secured Sh13 billion for the upcoming fiscal year starting in July to execute the second phase of the 2021–2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
This follows an amendment last August, where the Commission and union representatives agreed on a 9.5 percent salary increase spread over two years, revising the originally non-monetary CBA.
During discussions with the National Assembly committee on Education regarding the 2024/2025 financial estimates, TSC officials highlighted that the allocated funds would primarily support the implementation of the CBA’s second phase.
This includes salary increments and house allowances for teachers under cluster 4, which will be disbursed over two fiscal years.
Approximately 87 percent of teachers in the public service, many of whom work in rural areas, are eligible for this allowance, determined by job grade and workstation criteria.
The adjustments aim to align house allowances for cluster 4 teachers with those in cluster 3 by July 2024, based on their respective job grades.
The CBA also encompasses various allowances such as commuter, hardship, and leave allowances, which increase with higher job grades.
Negotiated amid the economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021–2025 CBA initially excluded monetary aspects but was revisited as economic conditions improved.
Talks commenced in August after the National Treasury projected a 5.5 percent economic growth for Kenya in 2023, up from 4.8 percent the previous year.
Salary Increase
Initially, negotiations hit a snag when union representatives declined to endorse TSC’s proposed salary increase ranging from 2.4 percent to 9.5 percent, citing discrepancies with recommendations by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Subsequently, after extended consultations and internal deliberations, both parties reached a consensus and signed the revised agreement.
In addition to salary adjustments, ongoing discussions between TSC and the unions have addressed other pertinent issues such as teacher promotions, career advancement opportunities, and workload management, particularly for Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers.
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For the fiscal year starting July 2024, TSC has been allocated Sh364.9 billion from the education sector budget, an increase from Sh316.7 billion in the current fiscal year.
This budget includes provisions for teacher promotions (Sh1 billion), converting 26,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms starting January 2025 (Sh8.3 billion), and recruiting an additional 20,000 interns (Sh4.68 billion) to fill staffing gaps in the teaching sector.
2024/25 Budget: TSC, Education Allocation – Teachers CBA
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