The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will have to get green light from the Ministry of Education before transferring teachers.

Though the mandate to transfer teachers still lies with the Commission, it will have to seek permission from the Ministry before execution.

This is among a number of reforms proposed by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) and planned to affect the Commission starting January 2024.

The education reform team want to tame the habit of the Commission where teachers are transferred against their will or as a form of punishment.

However some of the reforms by the education taskforce can only take effect through an act of parliament or even referendum.

Last week on Tuesday, the TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia was confronted by National Assembly Education Committee on transfer of delocalized teachers.

Dr Macharia revealed that by June, some 46,962 delocalized teachers had sent applications for transfer and the commission effected 20,055 transfers of teachers back to their home counties.

Primary school teachers had applied and 17,942 transferred while 10,967 from post-primary of which only 2,113 had been affected.

This the TSC boss said was due to lack of suitable replacements.

The commission also exonerated itself from blame on tutors’ delocalisation in different parts of the country, saying the lack of suitable replacements, and vacancies in some counties, especially for school heads enabled the Commission to effect all transfers requested.

Dr Macharia said teachers’ transfer is guided by the need for equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers; availability of vacancy in the proposed station; need for replacement; existing staffing norms and medical grounds.

Kabondo Kaspul MP Eve Obara said non-local heads of schools have faced hostilities to trigger their transfers and also equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers are compromised.

‘’Some teachers are forced out of class when they are not willing to go on delocalisation. We have to give teachers assurance of their safety for those who are not willing to take delocalisation,’’ Obara said.

The lack of local teachers in arid and semi-arid (Asal) and hard-to-staff areas forced the recruitment of teachers from other regions, which resulted in constant requests for transfers back to their home counties.

The Committee Chairman Julius Melly said despite several attempts by teachers to apply for the positions, they are not granted the opportunity by the employer.

‘‘We have cases where teachers have logged onto your website to apply for the transfer but have not been coming back. Some are not willing to come back but are being harassed by locals to leave their schools. What are you doing to solve these challenges,’’ Melly said.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will have to get green light from the Ministry of Education before transferring teachers.

Though the mandate to transfer teachers still lies with the Commission, it will have to seek permission from the Ministry before execution.

This is among a number of reforms proposed by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) and planned to affect the Commission starting January 2024.

The education reform team want to tame the habit of the Commission where teachers are transferred against their will or as a form of punishment.

However some of the reforms by the education taskforce can only take effect through an act of parliament or even referendum.

Last week on Tuesday, the TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia was confronted by National Assembly Education Committee on transfer of delocalized teachers.

Dr Macharia revealed that by June, some 46,962 delocalized teachers had sent applications for transfer and the commission effected 20,055 transfers of teachers back to their home counties.

Primary school teachers had applied and 17,942 transferred while 10,967 from post-primary of which only 2,113 had been affected.

This the TSC boss said was due to lack of suitable replacements.

The commission also exonerated itself from blame on tutors’ delocalisation in different parts of the country, saying the lack of suitable replacements, and vacancies in some counties, especially for school heads enabled the Commission to effect all transfers requested.

Dr Macharia said teachers’ transfer is guided by the need for equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers; availability of vacancy in the proposed station; need for replacement; existing staffing norms and medical grounds.

Kabondo Kaspul MP Eve Obara said non-local heads of schools have faced hostilities to trigger their transfers and also equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers are compromised.

‘’Some teachers are forced out of class when they are not willing to go on delocalisation. We have to give teachers assurance of their safety for those who are not willing to take delocalisation,’’ Obara said.

The lack of local teachers in arid and semi-arid (Asal) and hard-to-staff areas forced the recruitment of teachers from other regions, which resulted in constant requests for transfers back to their home counties.

The Committee Chairman Julius Melly said despite several attempts by teachers to apply for the positions, they are not granted the opportunity by the employer.

‘‘We have cases where teachers have logged onto your website to apply for the transfer but have not been coming back. Some are not willing to come back but are being harassed by locals to leave their schools. What are you doing to solve these challenges,’’ Melly said.