•This is after the TSC held a stakeholders meeting with union leaders and other education stakeholders to agree on a progressive way of solving the challenges.

•The commission promised to look into the challenges of the shortage of teachers in the area and the promotion of deserving tutors.

TSC to Award Hardship Allowance to teachers in Selected Sub Counties within Taita Taveta County

Teachers working in Taveta and Wundanyi subcounties will soon start receiving hardship allowance among other benefits for teachers working in marginalised areas.

This is after the Teachers Service Commissions held a stakeholders meeting with union leaders and other education stakeholdersto agree on a progressive way of solving the challenges facing teachers.

During the meeting led by TSC vice chairperson Leila Ali at the county commissioner’s office in Mwatate, the employer agreed to fast-track the process of allocating the allowance.

“The process is now at an advanced stage and we are hoping that it shall soon be finalised,” she said during the Tuesday meeting.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association among other stakeholders.

The commission promised to look into the challenges of the shortage of teachers in the area and the promotion of deserving tutors.

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“We, therefore, call upon all stakeholders to collaborate in making learning a success,” Ali said.

More than 1,000 teachers working in the county had in 2019 petitioned the National Assembly demanding the employment body be compelled to pay them hardship allowances.

Through the Kuppet county executive secretary, Shedrack Mutungi, the union said they had been neglected and sidelined despite the area being among the places where teachers are entitled to the allowance.

The teachers have been pushing to have the whole county classified as a hardship area since 2011.

Only teachers in Voi subcounty and some of Mwatate subcounty get hardship allowance at a rate of thirty per cent of their basic salary.

Other parts of the county have not been designated as hardship areas despite their deplorable road networks, harsh climatic conditions, water scarcity and human-wildlife conflicts among other prevalent problems.

“An interagency committee was formed to go round the country. We are now waiting for a gazette. We have requested TSC to ensure the process to be completed soon,” Mutungi told the Star in an interview on Thursday.

Mutungi promised to follow up on the issue until a lasting solution is achieved.

He said the disparity in allowances among teachers had negatively affected education in the region.

The stakeholders pushed for a quarter of residents to be considered when it comes to promotions, for the local teachers to get an opportunity.

“Through the new collective bargaining agreement, the residents will be considered during promotions,” he said.

Taita Taveta Senator Jones Mwaruma said the engagement forum was key in ironing out issues affecting education in the region.

“The county has continuously suffered partiality in terms of hardship allowances, delocalisation considerations, TSC modalities on absorption and promotions of residents among other issues,” Mwaruma said.

He said the time has come for all teachers to be factored in the allowances.

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