Kindiki Asks TSC to Shorten Services of Non-Local Teachers in North-Eastern
Due to insecurity, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki now wants the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to reduce the service time of non-local teachers in North-Eastern counties.
Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting of a parliamentary education committee, Kithure made the recommendation on the grounds that North-Eastern insecurity negatively impacts the mental health of non-local teachers.
Kindiki stated, “We recommend to TSC that the service of non-local teachers in the northern region be shortened due to their mental health.”
Informing the committee that there is a grave security threat in those counties, the CS stated that incitement by locals contributes to issues of insecurity among non-local teachers.
In the Northern region, we face a variety of risks. We have intelligence indicating that terror groups have grown for unknown reasons,” he said.
“There is some incitement from the local communities against non-local teachers, so some of the threats are coming from the local communities themselves. We must therefore engage the local communities in order for them to accept the reality that they do not have enough teachers.”
Kindiki also suggested incorporating community-led initiatives, as Somalia did, into the plan to combat Al-Shabaab.
The short-term solution is to pool teachers in one station for their protection, while the long-term solution is to ensure that the area is as safe as the rest of Kenya. Kindiki stated, “I have already pledged that we will clean up the area and that these threats will no longer exist.”
“The solution to the problem in the North is to do what has been done in Somalia,” he continued. “In Somalia, the fight against Al-Shabaab is being led by communities with the support of the government, and I believe this is the direction we are headed, as we are already receiving positive feedback.”
The CS also disclosed that the majority of non-local teachers are attacked while traveling; therefore, he advocated the use of air travel and virtual learning to reduce the attacks.
“The education authority may consider purchasing plane tickets for teachers because the majority of attacks occur when teachers are traveling by car, and then invest in virtual learning technology to reduce the need for teachers to travel physically,” he said.
Kindiki stated that the teachers will be relocated to a safer location given the intensified security threats in these regions.
“We are relocating the local teachers to a safer location due to the escalation of terrorist attacks. “All teachers will be evacuated to a safer, central location and escorted to work,” he stated.
“We are facing a number of threats in Kenya. Just yesterday there was an attack in Lamu. Presences of terror elements have increased in Lamu; all teachers will be evacuated & pulled at safe points & escorted: Garissa, Southern Wajir & Mandera. These are non local teachers,” Kindiki added.
Kindiki Asks TSC to Shorten Services of Non-Local Teachers in North-Eastern
