MPS Want TPD Halted Immediately, Issues Tough Demands To TSC.
MPs have demanded that Teacher Professional Development (TPD) courses be halted immediately until proper stakeholder consultations are conducted.
They also want the government to pay the Sh6,000 training fees and to expand the list of institutions offering refresher courses.
The details are in a report from the National Assembly Education Committee, which was tabled in the House on March 3, just before legislators went on a two-week break.
“If the Commission is not restrained from implementing the TPD programme, the rights of teachers and stakeholders under Article 232(1)(d) of the constitution stand the risk of being prejudiced,” said Committee chairperson Florence Mutua, who signed the report on March 1, 2022.
The report is the result of a petition presented on October 5, 2021, by Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba on behalf of Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers representatives (Kuppet).
Milemba raised concerns in the petition about the program’s cost, the selection of institutions to offer the course, and whether public participation was conducted prior to roll-out.
Although continuous training sharpens skills, Kuppet and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) argue that the cost should be borne by the employer.
MPs proposed suspending the program, stating that TSC should conduct extensive public participation as required and take into account the views of teachers, trade unions, and other stakeholders in order to build consensus on the program.
The proposal represents a significant setback for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which has been working to professionalize the teaching profession.
According to their findings, MPs stated that teachers must pay Sh6,000 for each module of the TPD.
This means that over the course of a teacher’s career, she or he will be required to complete five modules in 30 years, at a cost of approximately Sh180,000.
This is despite low salary increases for teachers, stagnation in the same job group, and rising inflation, which has reduced teachers’ disposable income.
TSC Commissioners Timon Oyucho
Mutua argued that TSC has not made the considerations it used to arrive at the cost per module available to teachers and other stakeholders in the education sector.
“TSC committed teachers to personally meet the burden of Sh6,000 for each module of the TPD programme without any consultations with teachers,” said Mutua.
The PTD program aims to benefit all registered teachers in the country’s public and private primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.
The country has approximately 750, 446 registered teachers. TSC employs 341 760 of these people. Another 170,000 people are registered as teachers in private schools. Another 238 686 teachers have registered but have not yet been hired.
MPs also revealed that the TPD program will cost Sh4.5 billion to implement. However, it was revealed that Sh2 billion had been set aside for the TPD program.
MPs expressed confusion about why top universities and institutions did not bid despite having adequate infrastructure network, human resource capacity, and experience to successfully run the program.
ALSO READ:
TSC chose Kenyatta University, Riara University, Mount Kenya University, and the Kenya Education Management Institute to train teachers through a competitive process.
Mutua believes the TPD should have been included in the ongoing capacity-building programs for teachers on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
“… to avoid duplication of government effort, waste of public resources and subjecting teachers to bearing the burden of a mandatory programme to achieve a well-coordinated and holistic approach,” said Mutua.
MPs also advocate for the passage of a new law and proposed changes to Article 237 of the Constitution and the TSC Act to address the commission’s dual role as a regulator and an employer.
TSC, according to the committee, has the constitutional and statutory mandate of employer and regulator, with powers conferred by Article 237 of the constitution and the TSC Act.
In terms of public participation, MPs claim they were unable to determine whether it occurred prior to the roll-out.
MPs argue that TSC should have conducted extensive public participation on the program prior to its launch.
TPD, according to TSC, is legally enshrined in Section 35(2)(a) of the TSC Act, which states that the Commission shall require every registered teacher to participate in career progression and professional development programs as prescribed by regulations made under this Act.
KEEP READING:
MPS Want TPD Halted Immediately, Issues Tough Demands To TSC
