KNUT Lament Understaffing in Teso Schools, Advocates for Performance-Based Promotions
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has lamented that understaffing in Teso, particularly among the headteachers, has taken its toll, imploring the TSC to intervene and rectify the situation.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday at the KNUT offices in Amagoro, branch union Executive Secretary Ekasiba Geoffrey said that every school in the branch has, at the very least, a head teacher who has been seconded by the TSC.
He noted that there is a deficiency of deputy head teachers in most schools, specifying that Angurai Zone is confronted with a scarcity of 14 deputy head teachers, Kolanya Zone with 11, Amagoro with 9, and Amukura with 16.
“As for head teachers, at least one head teacher is seconded to each school in the branch by the TSC. “Most schools lack assistant principals, with Angurai Zone lacking 14, Kolanya Zone 11, Amagoro 9, and Amukura 16,” he said.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) advertised over 36,000 positions for chief principal, senior principal, principal, deputy principal, senior lecturer, senior master, secondary teacher 1, head teacher, deputy head teacher, and senior teacher on August 25, 2023.
Despite this kind gesture, Ekasiba observed that the majority of teachers from the branch who had submitted promotion applications received letters of regret because they were unable to meet the threshold based on their job categories.
He said that due to stagnation, it was not the teachers’ fault that they could not advance to the next job category. He said that too many teachers would be unable to meet the requirements.
The KNUT official suggested that teachers be promoted based on their performance and not their job category.
He further emphasized the importance of promoting deputy head teachers from the Teso region instead of resorting to external hiring. Ekasiba pointed out that there is an ample supply of qualified individuals within the branch to fulfill those roles.
The Executive Secretary noted that the majority of teachers from Bungoma who taught in the Teso region had returned to their ancestral residences without being replaced, resulting in understaffing and a decline in performance.
Ekasiba stated that there are Western Region teachers who wish to be transferred back to Teso but are encountering obstacles, and he urged these teachers to seek authorization from the Western Regional Director of Education in Kakamega.
KNUT Lament Understaffing in Teso Schools, Advocates for Performance-Based Promotions