All teachers with Primary Teacher Education (PTE) qualifications are set for a big pay rise. The teachers who furthered their studies will smile to the bank as Teacher Service Commission, TSC, awards them with promotions if a petition proposed by Member of Parliament, MPs, get adopted.
On February 23rd, the parliamentary Education and Research committee resolved to invite TSC to respond to a petition tabled in Parliament seeking to compel the employer to acknowledge degrees attained by in-service teachers from recognized universities.
The petition, presented by ODM nominated MP Sossion wants Parliament to recommend that the TSC puts in place policy guidelines to promote or upgrade teachers who successfully acquire qualifications from recognized institutions in line with international best practices.
Teachers Service Commission, TSC, does not want to promote primary and secondary school teachers who lack grade C+ (plus) in KCSE exams including C+ (plus) in the teaching subjects
According to the committee, chaired by Busia MP Florence Mutua, the petition had raised pertinent issues that need to be urgently discussed and addressed within the shortest time possible.
“As a committee, we have supported the petition and agreed to invite the TSC to shed light on the issues raised. We have also agreed to urgently hear the petition and ensure we capture the cash needed to implement this in the next budget” Ms. Mutua said.
In the petition signed by teachers Martha Omollo, Eva Muchemi, and Salvin Munene, they want the MPs to enquire into the circumstances under which the TSC has since 2014 unilaterally declined to recognize diplomas, undergraduate, and graduate and post-graduate degrees earned by in-service teachers from recognized universities.
“That in the interest of self-improvement, many teachers have progressively advanced their qualifications by pursuing and successfully earning high qualifications, ranging from diplomas, bachelors, masters and even doctoral degrees,” reads the petition.
The three teachers are members of the Kenya National Teachers Pressure Group (KNTPG), which the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu has dismissed as “an illegal group with no rights to speak for teachers”.
The TSC Act,2012, emphasizes the need for the commission to require every registered teacher to undertake career progression and professional development programs to be promoted.
In 2015, the commission abandoned the schemes of service, which considered the academic qualification when promoting teachers, and introduced the Career Progression Guidelines (CPGS), which focuses on teachers’ performance for promotions.
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