Teachers’ unions: their history, functions, and distinctions KNUT & KUPPET.
- KNUT primarily represents teachers in primary schools, advocating for their rights and influencing education policy
- Both unions have a major say in the ongoing implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya
- Teachers in Kenya are represented by two major unions: KUPPET and KNUT
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) are the two main organizations that represent teachers in Kenya’s education system.
In order to advance teachers’ rights and enhance the educational system, both unions are essential.
Even though their jobs are nearly identical, they serve distinct sectors of the teaching workforce.
Teachers’ National Union of Kenya (KNUT)
The oldest and most powerful teachers’ organization in Kenya is the Kenya National organization of Teachers (KNUT), having been founded in 1957.
Primarily representing educators in elementary schools, KNUT has been a resolute defender of their rights, emphasizing wage negotiations, bettering working conditions, gaining promotions, and obtaining benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
KNUT has played a significant role in influencing Kenya’s educational environment over time.
Its impact has gone beyond wage negotiations to include promoting favorable policy implementation, reforms in the education sector, and ensuring that primary school teachers are acknowledged for their essential role in the growth of the country.
But KNUT has had difficulties, especially in the last few years, as the government has tried to restructure the education system and implement new laws that occasionally conflict with the union’s objectives.
Kenya Union of Teachers in Post-Primary Education (KUPPET)
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), in contrast to KNUT, is concentrated on meeting the needs of educators working in secondary schools and other post-primary establishments.
KUPPET was established in 1998, much later than planned, to specifically address the concerns of graduate teachers who felt underrepresented in the unions that were already in place.
The necessity to rectify differences in employment status—particularly the fact that teachers were frequently assigned to lesser job groups than their counterparts in other professions—led to the creation of KUPPET.
The need for a distinct union to defend the rights of post-primary instructors was spurred by this disparity.
Since its founding, KUPPET has been committed to enhancing its members’ professional growth, compensation, and working circumstances.
In addition to actively advocating for ongoing professional development to raise teaching quality in post-primary education, the union has been negotiating with the government for improved compensation and working conditions for secondary school teachers.
A comparative synopsis
While KNUT and KUPPET cater to distinct facets of the educational system, they both aim to improve the welfare of Kenyan teachers.
Teachers in primary schools are the main emphasis of KNUT, although teachers at secondary schools and other post-primary institutions are represented by KUPPET.
Each union is able to focus on the unique opportunities and problems within its particular fields because to this split.
Although KNUT has a longer history and a larger membership base, KUPPET has grown in prominence quickly by meeting the demands of an increasing number of graduate teachers working in the secondary education field.
Additionally, both unions have a significant influence on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which is currently being implemented and is changing the way that education is provided in Kenya.
Teachers’ unions: their history, functions, and distinctions KNUT & KUPPET.
