Kenyan teachers 'highest paid'
Source:
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=109168
Story by PETER NGARE
Publication Date: 10/25/2007
Teachers in Kenya are the highest paid in East Africa, a new survey has revealed.
The survey conducted this year by Education International in the three countries shows that a primary school teacher in Kenya earns more than a secondary school teacher in Tanzania.
According to the report titled: "Teacher Supply, Recruitment and Retention," the average salary for a primary school teacher in Kenya is Sh10,184, Uganda Sh7,705 and Tanzania Sh1,340.
A secondary school teacher earns an average monthly salary of Sh20,435 in Kenya, Sh17,420 in Uganda and Sh8,375 in Tanzania.
However, the report says teachers in the region earn less than other professionals with similar or comparable qualifications and levels of experience, both in the public and private sectors.
Forced to moonlight
"As a result, teachers are forced to moonlight and to engage in other income-generating activities in order to make ends meet.
The net effect of moonlighting is that it usually leaves teachers exhausted and with little time to prepare for lessons and the quality of education suffers," the report states.
It also reveals the status of the teaching profession in the three countries is on the decline, mainly attributed to low salaries and poor conditions of service.
The survey shows the majority of primary school teachers in Kenya remain in the profession until retirement, but in secondary schools, the number of those leaving for other jobs is on the increase.
It further states that Kenya and Uganda have many qualified teachers who are jobless despite an acute shortage of teaching staff in the three countries.
According to the report, there are 40,000 trained teachers in Kenya who are yet to be absorbed while Uganda has 10,000.
Tanzania, however, has a critical shortage of qualified teachers, especially at secondary school level, says the report.
It recommends the improvement of teacher perks in the three countries, provision of housing for the teaching staff and hiring of qualified teachers to ease the current shortage.