Effectiveness of trade unions’ strategies in enhancing teacher professional performance in public secondary schools in Kieni West district, Kenya

Abstract

Teachers’ trade unions provide support to teachers through their ability to mobilize and represent teachers’ interests nationally, as well as through reaching out to teachers at the local level. The purpose of this study was to establish the effectiveness of trade unions in teachers’ professional performance in public secondary schools in Kieni West District. The study aimed to achieve this by assessing the influence of trade unions role in securing benefits; trade unions motivational programmes and advocacy on the professional performance of teachers. The study targeted all the 262 TSC employed teachers as well as the 22 principals serving in public secondary schools in Kieni West District, Nyeri County. The study sampled 26 teachers and 22 head teachers to participate in the study using stratified random technique and census method respectively. Data was collected using questionnaires. Quantitative and qualitative procedures were employed in data analysis. The study found that the teachers’ trade unions were instrumental in fighting for teachers’ benefits and advocacy in education reform. However motivation programmes for members were nonexistent and the unions preferred pressuring the teachers’ employer to provide motivation through better allowances and promotion opportunities. The study concluded that the increment of teachers’ salaries and allowances motivated the teachers to some extent. However, the students’ achievement in Kieni West District was not improving which shows that other factors affected the performance of the students. The study recommended that the government and the teachers’ employer (TSC) should strive to better teachers working conditions by increasing the number of teachers as well as providing adequate teaching material in public secondary schools.