Pressure Mounts on TSC to Revoke Disciplinary Letters to North-Eastern Non-Local Teachers
Nancy Macharia, the CEO of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), is under extreme pressure to reverse the disciplinary letters sent to teachers who have been refusing to reach their assigned stations in the North Eastern region owing to insecurity.
The Council of Governors, several Members of Parliament, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) want the commission to address the predicament of the 129 teachers “without appearing to be punishing them for the increasing insecurity and banditry attacks in Northern Kenya.”
This happens as affected teachers prepare to rally the assistance of lawmakers at Parliament Buildings on Monday and pursue an audience with Dr. Macharia to revoke the prohibition letters issued to them and press for the transfer from Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties in the north-eastern region of Kenya.
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Dr. Erick Mutai, chairman of the Education Committee of the Council of Governors (COC), expressed the concerns of top leaders in the devolved government units regarding the recent events in Northern Kenyan schools related to safety, teaching, and learning. This was because non-local teachers had to leave the area.
Dr. Mutai stated that the TSC should enable teachers to work in a secure environment to offer learners a quality education, rather than forcing them to reside and work in a volatile area where they are psychologically tormented.
Dr. Mutai emphasized the urgency of ending the tragic occurrences of teachers losing their lives in the North Eastern region. He highlighted the resulting hardship for their spouses, who become widows or widowers, and their children, who are left orphaned at a young age.
Dr. Mutai underscored the need to address this issue while the government works to enhance security in the affected regions.
Collins Oyuu, the secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers, has called for the immediate transfer of teachers to safer zones to safeguard them from the recent attacks that have claimed the lives of a number of their colleagues.
ALSO READ: TSC Interdicts Non-Local Teachers Seeking Transfers From North Eastern Over Security Concerns
Mr. Oyuu, speaking as he closed a workshop for KNUT school representatives at St. Kizito School for the Deaf in Litein, Bureti Constituency, Kericho County, stated that the government should train local teachers and assign them to schools in their localities to address the teacher shortage in counties prone to bandit attacks.
Mr. Oyuu suggested that the commission should take into consideration the challenges faced by teachers, especially in the North Eastern region, where they are increasingly targeted in attacks due to rising insecurity.
He emphasized the immediate withdrawal of disciplinary letters sent to the affected teachers.
Furthermore, he suggested that the government should consider lowering the entry requirements for P2 and P3 teachers in North Eastern. This move aims to increase the pool of trainees available for subsequent assignment to local schools, effectively addressing the teacher shortage in these areas.
Nandi Senator Kiprotich Cherargei, nominated Senator Joyce Korir, and MPs Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu), Richard Yegon (Bomet East), John Waluke (Sirisia), and former Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat, while speaking in Bomet County during the burial ceremony of the late Ruth Chepng’eno Sossion at Kakimirai village, turned their guns on TSC for the way it has treated teachers who cannot access their stations and have been at home for almost three months.
Mr. Cherargei emphasized that the issue of insecurity is indeed a reality, not a work of fiction. He pointed out that the leadership of the Teachers Service Commission should not contemplate issuing interdiction letters to the affected teachers, as such an action would be insensitive.
Cherargei further conveyed that such a course of action might be akin to disregarding the safety concerns of the teachers.
ALSO READ: KUPPET Push for Armed Teachers in Conflict Regions
He suggested that if teachers genuinely fear for their lives due to security issues, the appropriate response should be to facilitate their transfer to areas where they feel safe and have the freedom to choose a suitable location for their work.
Mr. Nyoro stated that the government was eager to clear up the mess that has plagued the education sector for decades by increasing resource allocation, which has lagged for decades.
Mr. Nyoro emphasized that 30 percent of the 2023–2024 national budget allocation had been dedicated to the education sector. He stressed the significance of this allocation, highlighting the objective of nurturing a skilled workforce essential for propelling the country’s future economic development.
On August 28, the affected teachers, who have been advocating for their transfer, announced their intention to meet with Members of Parliament and the Commission’s senior officials on Monday to request the annulment of the interdiction letters served to them.
The commission has ordered teachers to return to their positions by September 7 or face interdictions as a form of sanction. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki told the Parliamentary Committee on Education on August 2 that al-Shabaab attacks in northern Kenya had impeded school learning and that the government was eager to rid the area of Somalian militants.
ALSO READ: KUPPET Wants Secondary Teachers Excluded From Invigilating KCSE Exams
Prof. Kindiki stated that local communities were the source of some of the threats and actively engaged in finding community-driven solutions to address the emerging issues.
A TSC letter addressed to a teacher acknowledged the request for a transfer out of the North Eastern region. However, TSC formally declined the request due to the unavailability of a suitable replacement.
The commission directed the teacher to return to their workstation by Thursday, September 7, 2023, warning that failure to comply would lead to disciplinary action.
Teachers have petitioned Parliament to transfer them out of the region, claiming their lives are in peril as they fight the TSC’s ban.
A letter from the TSC informed one of the teachers that they had deserted duty from September 8, 2023, to the present date.
As a consequence, the TSC suspended the teacher on September 22, 2023, allowing a 21-day window from the date of the letter for the submission of a written defense statement before the TSC continued with the case.
ALSO READ: Machogu Launch Mandera TTC to Address Teachers Shortage in the Region
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu stated last week at Mandera Teachers Training College that the government will hire additional teachers in the North Eastern region to provide quality education to students.
Mr. Machogu stated at the inauguration of the Mandera County Education Task Force report that, shortly, the North Eastern region should be self-sufficient in teachers due to the expansion of local training institutions.
Pressure Mounts on TSC to Revoke Disciplinary Letters to North-Eastern Non-Local Teachers
