Students Return to School

The headlines in today's Daily Nation: Schools paralysed as teachers demand fresh salary talks with Labour minister and >Teachers keep off class as strike starts

Today is the day students across the country are supposed to return to school. However, the teachers are on strike. It is a confusing situation. Parents are unsure whether or not to send their children to school.

I got a text yesterday afternoon telling me to report to school this afternoon to inspect belongings as the girls report to school. I wasn't for sure whether I should go or not.

The teachers' unions use force to ensure all teachers are striking. Last year during a strike, St. Monica's teachers were teaching although we weren't supposed to be. One day I was in the classroom when a man appeared at my classroom door. I naively thought he must be a parent. After I finished what I was saying I went over to see what he wanted. He politely informed me that teachers were on strike and no one was to be teaching. He was a union official. I got by with it because I'm white. The rest of the teachers saw the union officials and ran away from the school so they wouldn't get beaten.

I called a fellow teacher this morning and she said she was going. So I went. I didn't know what to expect. Everything was fine. By the time I left school, 200 out of 600 girls had reported. I'm sure the small number was due to parents not knowing if it was safe to send their children and if they would even be allowed to stay at school.

Several girls called ahead and got permission to come in their home clothes. (Students must be in full school uniform. No home clothes are allowed.) There was fighting among people due to the strike in their home area and they were afraid to dress in the school uniforms for fear they would be harassed and not allowed to take public transport.

After talking to several teachers today, it looks like most of us are going to report to school around 10:00 tomorrow morning. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) hires all government teachers. They have ordered that a roll call of teachers be taken every day so they know who is on duty. However, the unions are threatening violence for anyone caught teaching.

Today the largest teachers' union is meeting with the Secretary of Labour. Technically, they don't have any right to be talking to them. The people they are negotiating with is the TSC who determines their contracts. The next meeting between the unions and the TSC isn't until Friday. Meanwhile, the Kenya National Association of Parents has received a court order blocking the strike.

Meanwhile, those students who are at school will continue to stay for now. Tomorrow girls will be doing thorough cleaning of the dorms and classrooms so no teaching would be going on anyway.

We pray the strike will end soon.