LATEST EDUCATION NEWS; 2020 TSC RECRUITMENT STILL ON AS SCHEDULE GETS REVIEWED AND MERIT LISTS RELEASED, LATEST TSC PROMOTION CRITERIA AND RESUMPTION OF LEARNING IN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS; 2020 TSC RECRUITMENT STILL ON AS SCHEDULE GETS REVIEWED AND MERIT LISTS RELEASED, LATEST TSC PROMOTION CRITERIA AND RESUMPTION OF LEARNING IN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

Below are the key highlights of reports from our education sector and the TSC this week.

TSC REVEALS BITING TEACHER SHORTAGES AS MORE THAN 300, 000 SEEK THE 11, 574 TEACHING VACANCIES

It is no longer breaking news that Kenya is indeed short of over 100, 000 teachers. While appearing before the Senate education committee yesterday, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia made it clear once more that more funds should be allocated for new recruitment so that the commission can recruit at least 20, 000 new teachers every year to plug the biting teacher shortages.

Her request however comes at a time when the Cabinet Secretary Treasury Ukur Yatanni recently announced government plans to freeze employment in the public sector for the next three years following the harsh economic times ushered in by the pandemic.

The senators who wanted to understand the hiring criteria which will be used to promote and hire teachers to ensure the process is fair to all qualified teachers were reassured that the commission has put in place mechanisms to attract, select, appoint and retain competent staff to serve as institutional administrators.

LATEST TSC PROMOTION CRITERIA FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

According to Dr. Macharia, primary school teachers within the administrative cadre who fall in job group K, GradeC2 can rise to job group P, Grade D1 under the new grading system adopted after the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA.

Secondary school teachers on the other hand within the administrative cadre can rise from job group C5 (senior master) to D5(senior principal).

KUPPET has petitioned TSC to reinstate the common cadre promotion grades. KUPPET secretary-general Akelo Misori also said that the fate of 3, 000 diploma teachers who need a promotion from grade C2 to C3 is still not clear.

TSC REVISED SCHEDULE FOR HIRING 11, 574 TEACHERS, MERIT LISTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN GENERATED

It is now clear that the Teachers Service Commission has not shelved plans to recruit 11, 574 teachers. 5,000 teachers will be hired to support the government’s 100 percent transition policy from primary to secondary schools.

The remaining 6, 574 tutors will be hired to replace those who exited service due to natural attrition.

A revised schedule for the upcoming recruitment of teachers indicates that merit lists have been generated and dispatched to respective county directors ahead of the exercise.

Applicants will know their fate starting Thursday next week as the selection process and filling of employment forms kicks off.

TSC employment letters will be sent to successful candidates between October 8 and 14.

This will pave way for vetting of final lists and handling of complaints which will be done at the county levels between October 15 and 22.

All returns will then be received at the commission’s headquarters between October 23 and 24. The newly-recruited teachers will then report to their new work stations by January 4, 2021.

RESUMPTION OF LEARNING IN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

Meanwhile, final year teacher trainees have been recalled back to their colleges to sit their final exams.

Third-year teacher trainees will resume on 5^th October 2020 and close on 16^th October. The two weeks will allow them to complete their exams and clear colleges for continuing students in the first and second year who will resume learning on 19^th October 2020 and close on 18^th December 2020.