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Development Cooperation Projects

Capacity Building for Branch Executive Secretaries

Project title: Capacity Building for Branch Executive Secretaries

Host organization: KNUT-Kenya

Cooperating organisations: NUT-United Kingdom

Country: Kenya

Region: Africa

Start date: 2015

End date: 2015

Project Categories:

HTUR

Status Teachers

Trade and Education

VET

Description:

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is a teacher trade union founded 55 years ago.  It has a membership of 190,000 teachers.

The Union represents teachers working in public primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

There are 110 branches each with a branch executive secretary.

Branch executive secretaries are teachers elected by other teachers.  Some have no experience in office management, human and financial resources and/or advocacy skills.

The geographical location of schools poses a challenge as accessibility to some schools is difficult, complicating resource allocation.

Branch executive secretaries are expected to work and negotiate with regional arms of the government, which have highly skilled officers and with wealth of experience.

Goals:

In order to achieve KNUT’s mission of uniting teachers to:

• develop a focused, well-informed leadership;

• meet the high expectations of the membership.

Number of participants : 110

Target group: Branch executive secretaries

Core values: KNUT represents and stands for the interests of Kenyan teachers.  The Union has two wings: professional and trade union, guided by the KNUT constitution with the motto ‘Service and Justice’.

Activities:

KNUT proposes using training skills and good practices from NUT ‘technical advisers’ or ‘think tank’ to carry out the training of trainers who will be used to train the branch executive secretaries and thereafter carry out the other program activities.

Training of KNUT trainers:

The pool of trainers would be drawn from the KNUT executive officers, members of the KNUT steering committee and some selected NEC members.

Training of branch executive secretaries:

Divided into eight working regions, all the branch executive secretaries will undergo a seven day intensive residential training covering:

• office management skills

• governance issues in Kenya with a bias on trade unionism and relevant law

• the role, responsibilities and obligations of the branch executive secretary

• effective leadership, organisational and role conflict management

• building networks and effective partnerships in the world of work

• managing stress and stress levels.

Mapping of networks and partnerships:

Using geographical locations, branches will identify key partners and networks in education and establish working relations that are relevant to the union and the school communities.

Setting criteria for the best practices:

Borrowing from best practices of NUT, the union will set up criteria for branches that are well run and striving to achieve high standards of management.

Contact person:

NUT International Team

KNUT

http://www.knut.or.ke/

NUT, UK

www.teachers.org.uk
Empowerment of women in the SLTU

Project title: Empowerment of women in the SLTU

Host organization: SLTU-Sierra Leone

Cooperating organisations: NUT-United Kingdom

Country: Sierra Leone

Region: Africa

Start date: 2015

End date: 2018

Project Categories:

Gender

HTUR

Status Teachers

Trade and Education

VET

Description:

The Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU) has produced a four-year strategic plan with six themes.  Within the theme of membership are a number of threads concerning the empowerment of women.

The SLTU is seeking support from the NUT on these gender-related threads.  Other aspects of the strategic plan will be conducted in partnership with other EI affiliates.

The NUT has a long history of co-operation with the SLTU.  Previously, the NUT has supported ICT skills training for women teachers in the SLTU.

The six themes of the SLTU strategic plan 2014-17 are:

1. membership;

2. leadership;

3. communication;

4. education for all;

5. governance and administration; and

6. investment in the economic and social status of teachers.

Goals:

• To empower women members to participate actively in Union programmes and national development.

• Number of participants: 4,695 women members over four years.

• Target group: Women members, activists and leaders.

Activities:

1. Awareness raising visits/meetings to mobilise and educate women for participation in union activities.  (50 x 20 district meetings x 4 years = 4,000 women)

2. 640 women leaders and activists receive training in leadership and gender issues.

(40 x 1 workshop x 4 regions x 4 years)

3. 10 radio programmes x 4 years.

(40 radio programmes in four years)

4. 15 women leaders and gender activists hold workshop to develop training materials and print.

5. 100 female teachers x 4 years receive support from SLTU as bursary.

(400 women)

Contact person:

NUT International Team

SLTU

http://www.cedol.org/partner/sierra_leone_teachers_union/

www.sierraleoneteachers.org

NUT, UK

www.teachers.org.uk

Capacity Building for Branch Executive Secretaries

Empowerment of women in the SLTU