The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on Tuesday insisted that teachers will be recruited and promoted on the basis of available vacancies and taking into account existing establishments.
TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia told the National Assembly’s Education Committee the agency will use the Code of Regulations for Teachers in recruitment.
Ms Macharia was responding to a question by Joash Omuse (Teso South) on the fate of teachers holding degrees and who graduated from 2006 to date in both primary and secondary schools.
“The recruitment guidelines play a crucial role in ensuring that the commission picks out the best in the teaching job market in the best interest of the learners,” she said.
PROMOTIONS
In its Strategic Plan 2019-2023, TSC indicated budget constraints in the last five years have limited opportunities for promotions, a situation it said had led to a demotivated teaching staff and a high turnover in some teaching areas, creating instability in the teaching profession.
Teachers’ unions have been pushing for the promotion of teachers who have acquired higher academic qualifications.
Data from TSC indicate that 54,702 teachers have acquired additional academic papers and are seeking promotions.
On transfers, Mrs Macharia said teachers with medical conditions and those above 56 years will not be transferred under the delocalisation regulation. She said that only newly recruited teachers will be delocalised.
“In the implementation of delocalisation, the commission has made a decision to exempt all teachers who are aged above 56. Teachers who have proven cases of health or medical conditions already reported to the commission have also been exempted from the transfers,” Ms Macharia said.
DELOCALISATION
On the health front, Ms Macharia clarified that the commission will take each case on its merit, considering the availability and accessibility of medical facilities.
In addition, teachers with alternative abilities have also been exempted from the transfers though personal requests have been granted subject to availability of vacancies.
In December last year, the commission transferred 3,094 teachers but 360 appealed against being moved.
“The appeals were considered and appropriate determination made based on the terms and conditions of service,” Ms Macharia said.
She told the committee that delocalisation is not a policy but a regulatory function of the commission for assigning newly employed teachers and in deploying newly identified institutional administrators to all parts of the country without discrimination.
MORE FUNDS
She explained that newly recruited teachers are posted to counties neighbouring their home counties to mitigate a drastic change of environment.
Ms Macharia urged Parliament to allocate money for recruitment of 12,626 teachers annually for the next three years for the full implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum.
She said the full implementation of the new curriculum will deepen the impact of the teacher shortage.
In addition, the commission said that 36,804 teachers are required for the implementation of the 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools.