ECDE Teachers Salaries: Senate Recommends Hefty Perks as Governors Considers Capitation for Centres
The Senate has proposed that Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers could see improved benefits if governors adopt their resolution.
The Council of Governors (CoG) is considering extending capitation to ECDE centers, similar to other educational levels such as primary, secondary, and vocational education.
Kahiga Mutahi, the Chairman of the CoG Education Committee, asserts that the provision of capitation would facilitate the permanent and pensionable hiring of more ECDE teachers.
Mutahi further reported to the Senate that the capitation would cover various essentials like teaching materials, school meals, classroom management, and infrastructure, which currently consume a significant portion of the ECDE budget each year.
The Senate Education Committee has recommended that the National Treasury distribute grants to counties.
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Additionally, the committee suggests that counties should implement the ECDE teachers’ scheme of service and allocate funds for salary increments to meet minimum standards as per SRC guidelines.
The slow implementation of this service scheme has resulted in irregular payment schedules for ECDE teachers, impacting their morale negatively.
Furthermore, the committee has directed county public service boards and the Intergovernmental Technical Relations Committee to review ECDE tutors’ job descriptions and roles.
They have also called on the Council of Governors, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to establish frameworks and collaborations within 90 days to improve ECDE teachers’ management and capacity building, as well as facilitate the rollout of competency-based curriculum (CBC) for ECDE learners and teachers.
According to CoG data, there are 32,656 ECDE teachers employed across 38 counties, with 30,249 on contracts and only 2,407 on permanent and pensionable terms.
“Five county governments have fully implemented the scheme of service; five have partially implemented it, while the rest are yet to implement it,” the report notes.
The report highlights that the lowest-paid ECDE certificate holder earns Sh9,420 monthly, while the highest-paid graduate teacher receives Sh59,770. Across all cadres, most ECDE teachers earn between Sh12,000 and Sh22,000 per month.
The Senate also recommends establishing a framework for conditional grants and ring-fencing funds to improve the ECDE sector.
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It further suggests that county governments allocate adequate resources and that county assemblies legislate to increase the annual budgetary allocation to the ECDE sector to at least 10 percent of county revenue.
Finally, we urge the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to assist quality assurance and standards officers in conducting thorough monitoring and inspections of ECDE centers.
ECDE Teachers Salaries: Senate Recommends Hefty Perks as Governors Considers Capitation for Centres
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