The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has refuted claims made by the tutors’ union boss Wilson Sossion over promotions, terming them as mere propaganda. TSC head of communications Kihumba Kamotho said no promises were made to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) officials regarding promotions during a recent meeting.
TSC
“With regard to the August 23 meeting, the commission has pronounced itself without ambiguity. The position still remains,” Mr Kamotho said. According to the TSC spokesperson, Mr Sossion is misleading teachers, adding that no agreement has been reached for the promotion of more than 30,000 teachers.
“The commission wishes to restate that it has not made any promises to Knut on promotion of 30,000 teachers or any other number. In fact, as of now, there are no due promotions that are pending,” Mr Kamotho said in an earlier statement. The TSC says teachers should ignore Knut’s directive and should continue with their appraisals. The commission has, however, not issued any directions regarding the controversial delocalisation programmme.
WILSON SOSSION
On Thursday, Mr Sossion said teachers’ promotion is a continuous exercise and should be based on the existing schemes of service. “The schemes of service have not changed and that is what is agreed in the collective bargaining agreement,” he said. According to Knut, the teachers’ career progression tool — which the employer has implemented — cannot surpass degree and masters’ qualifications when it comes to promotions. TSC has introduced the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (Tpad) tool to address performance gaps. It will also facilitate career progression and recertification of all teachers to ensure professional compliance.
TEACHERS
In the programme, teachers will have two modules; one for administrators and another for teachers. Teachers will be taken through six levels while administrators will be taken through one to four levels. TSC has asked teachers to pay for the modules. However, teachers are against the proposal and want their employer to pay for any tool it introduces.
“If the employer wants teachers to be trained in any programme, the money should be provided for. Teachers will not pay to undertake any programme they have not subscribed to,” Mr Sossion said.