Teachers' Strike!

It’s September, and that means pennant races are heating up in Major League Baseball. And while most Kenyans probably care very little about who will win the Cy Young or what the playoff pitching rotation will be, they are talking quite a bit about strikes.

The government-employed teachers across Kenya have been on strike this past week. School here is on a three-term system. January begins the school year. Second term begins April, and the final term begins in September. While the third term is the shortest, only a few months, national exams are given in December. With graduation and future school opportunities weighing heavily on these exams, this term is arguably the most important.

However teachers, organized by a national teachers’ union, refused to come to school until their demands for smaller class sizes and increased pay was met. Many students were turned away at locked school gates because no teachers were present to welcome them.

1:1 teacher to student ratio is unheard of in Kenyan public schools

Kenyan teachers finally went on strike after a hiring freeze caused class sizes to climb to 80 students or more. Kenyan teachers complained a teacher to student ratio of 1:80 led to poor quality of education. They are also unhappy with their pay of often only 10,000 Kenyan Shillings per month (or $100).

After one week of striking and a couple of offers from the government, terms have seem to finally have been met, and teachers will resume work this Monday.

As Tim prepares to work in the education field in Kenya, we are interested to learn first hand the comparisons and contrasts between American and Kenyan education systems. So far teachers in each country complain about class size and being underpaid.  Although a 1:80 teacher to student ratio and monthly salary of $100 may put things in a little different perspective back in the states. Stay tuned to learn more with us.