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{
    "id": 583040,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/583040/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 419,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Billow",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 260,
        "legal_name": "Billow Adan Kerrow",
        "slug": "billow-kerrow"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. I think as a nation, for the last 50 years, if there is one thing that Kenyans have agreed on, in all our successive governments, is to give education a priority. So, that in all our financing, in all budgetary allocations in this country for the last 50 years, nearly a third of our national revenue has always gone to education. This is the seriousness with which the successive governments have taken education, as our top priority national interest. However, the need to address this issue is a national one. I think we all have a collective responsibility as Kenyans to address this issue of teachers once and for all. This is not a problem that started this year. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been in place since 1997. In fact, one of the longest strikes was during the Grand Coalition government. As a matter of fact, some of my colleagues sitting across were in that Government. I think it is, therefore, imperative that we find a solution as Kenyans to this matter. I think there’s no doubt teachers need to be paid. There is also no doubt that we need to harmonize the remuneration of public servants through an appropriate scheme adopted by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. However, when the matter has reached where it has; when this matter has been protracted for a very long time and has ultimately ended up in court, with the consent of both parties, the employer and the employees, and the court has ruled, I think it is only proper that the Government seriously considers how to raise money to address that issue, because there are no two ways about a court decision. However, I also think, that it should not be lost on the Government that you can achieve much more through dialogue than non-dialogue. I think there is no better way than for His Excellency the President to actually sit with the leaders of these teachers. It is not late even today to sit with them, as the other leaders have done before him, and explain to them the need to address this issue in a progressive and gradual manner. The teachers need to be paid but looking at the capacity of the Government, unless we do that, we are going to have a serious problem, because we cannot afford to have 10 million primary and secondary school students in this country staying at home. That is a disaster. In fact, it is a matter of national interest that should be an emergency for the Government to sit and discuss at the earliest opportunity. I do not think this is a matter that should been have left to go this far. It is a matter that the Government should have burnt the midnight oil to address. Madam Temporary Speaker, I think there are also concerns which have been raised by TSC which are genuine. There are concerns about the productivity of teachers and lack of professionalism in some of the teachers. I think it is time the Kenya National"
}