Nelson Havi to challenge TPD in court

The Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi has announced that he will challenge the contentious Teacher Professional Development (TPD) modules in court.

“After reflecting on what would have been good for my late father and mother, both of whom were great teachers, I have changed my mind. I will act for teachers to challenge the oppressive Teacher Professional Development programme imposed by TSC. Let us get satrted,” said Havi.

Havi backtracked after he earlier warned teachers against dragging him into their own woes they created.

Nelson Havi had declined to petition TSC on the newly issued directive requiring teachers to undertake TPD modules that will see them being issued with a five year renewable teaching certificates.

Havi had declined a request by teachers to take TSC to court over the controversial TPD modules.

Already Mount Kenya University and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) have advertised for enrolment of the programme that starts in December 2021.

In a statement, Havi had accused teachers of digging their own graves by kicking out of office former Secretary General of Knut Mr. Wilson Sossion.

“Teachers, you left Wilson Sossion to be fought to exhaustion by the state. KNUT withdrew all cases against the state when you replaced Sossion with a Secretary of ‘your preferred choice’. Please, stop calling me to challenge the directive by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that you be trained afresh,” said LSK President Nelson Havi.

On Wednesday 15th September TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia rolled out the TPD programme that will see teachers study for a period of thirty years.

“At the end of each module, successful teachers will have their teaching certificates renewed after every five years,” said Macharia.

The modules which are five in number will cost at least shs. 6,000 yearly. The modules are divided into chapters that teachers will during their career life.

Kenyatta University, Riara University, Mount Kenya University and the Kenya Education Management Institute (Kemi) were picked by TSC to train the teachers.

Dr Macharia, said the overall objective of the TPD programme is to continuously develop teachers’ skills and knowledge in line with the 21st-century core competencies.

She also said the refresher courses will boost the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) roll out as teachers will be equipped with requisite skills.

Oyuu summons Knut branch secretaries in Nairobi

Collins Oyuu, the secretary general Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), has summoned Knut branch executive secretaries in Nairobi amidst hottest debate on the recently launched Teacher Professional Development (TPD) modules.

Oyuu will meet branch executive secretaries at KICD buildings in Nairobi on Monday in a move likely to forge a way that will make teachers embrace the program that has already met rejection from most teachers.

According to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) the old TPD programs do not address individual teacher’s performance gaps, are not compulsory nor continuous and do not offer any motivation for continuous learning that necessitated a paradigm shift.

Already 20 Kuppet branches have written to the secretary general Akelo Misori rejecting the TPD modules set to be taken during December school holidays.

Baringo, Samburu, Makueni, Busia, Kericho, Bomet, Nairobi, Uasin Gishu, Vihiga, Narok, Kisii, Kwale, Migori, Laikipia and Taita Taveta are among the Kuppet branches that have written to Misori rejecting the controversial TPDs.

TSC in its TPD framework said teachers will study the modules face to face during December holidays and online during April and August holidays.

Teachers will pay sh. 6,000 yearly for a period of 30 years to study the 6 modules which are divided into chapters. Each module takes 5 years to complete.

TPD Competence levels (6) – Modules

Knut officials have been silent on the TPD issue whose debate rages on. Oyuu together with Kusnet and Kuppet officials signed CBA 2021 – 2025 with TSC that opened gate for launching the contentious program.

TSC defended the modules saying the refresher courses will boost the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) roll out as teachers will be equipped with requisite skills.

“At the end of each module, successful teachers will have their teaching certificates renewed after every five years,” said Nancy Macharia.

Macharia said teachers have been disrespected for long as they have been termed unskilled during negotiations.

“We had a very hard time in negotiating for teachers because when you are at the negotiations table they referred to teachers as unskilled or semi-skilled. We need to see our teachers conduct research projects and write academic and acclaimed research papers to improve the quality in schools,” said Nancy Macharia.

Macharia said all teachers in public and private schools registered by the Commission would be required to undertake the mandatory TPD at their own cost.

Kenyatta University, Riara University, Mount Kenya University and the Kenya Education Management Institute (Kemi) were picked by TSC to train the teachers.

Already Mount Kenya University and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) have advertised for enrolment for the program that starts this December.

“The service provider will charge an annual training fee of Sh6,000 only per teacher which will be inclusive of all training sessions, assessment, reporting and all other associated costs incurred in carrying out the described service,” reads TSC TPD framework.

However the modules will have a rough start after meeting huge opposition from teachers.

Okisai Moffats, Kuppet executive secretary in Busia county says TSC should first introduce fee allowance of kshs 120,000 per year before rolling out the controversial program.

Moffats says selection of Mount Kenya university, KEMI, Riara and Kenyatta university is suspicious and feels its a business opportunity.

He said the actual cost of the training is more than kshs 6,000 per year if accommodation, transport and meals are included.

Robert Miano, Kuppet executive secretary in Laikipia county says TSC should work out a plan to reduce job stagnation which is at an alarming rate before committing teachers to stressful training.

Miano rejected the training period of the program that make teachers to study throughout their entire career life.

He said the training should be target oriented and not for the entire teaching workforce and must be funded and facilitated by the employer.

Details show that each classroom teacher, primary school head teachers, or high school principals and their deputies will be required to undertake at least one module per year.

Classroom teachers will take up modules separate from the senior teachers, mostly institutional leaders and senior staff.

Modules for teachers will include professionalism, pedagogy, Competency-Based Curriculum and Assessment, inclusive education practices, comprehensive school health and safety, instructional leadership, and financial literacy skills.

And for institutional leaders, the modules will include professionalism, Competency-Based Curriculum and Assessment, leadership in high-quality instruction and assessment, professional learning environment, building a positive inclusive learning environment, comprehensive school health, and financial literacy skills.

The modules have been organised into chapters’ which will be taken by teachers every year.