Teachers Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia has explained what led to the interdiction of Northeastern teachers who had sought to be transferred due to insecurity.
This is after Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei sought that the commission appear before the Senate Committee on Education to give reason behind the teachers interdiction.
Macharia told the senators that the commission was only aware of one incident of insecurity, which affected a teacher.
She said on July 14, 2023, a non-local teacher of Al-Irshad Integrated School, at Wargadud town, Mandera county, was killed by al Shabaab militia at Wargadud police station where he had sought refuge.
“Arising from the Wargadud incident, 223 teachers representing 6.9 per cent of non-local teachers (3,246 non-locals) in the region visited the commission’s headquarters on August 28, 2023, requesting for transfer out of the region on allegations of insecurity,” Macharia said.
The TSC boss said upon assessing the facts on the ground, which indicated that it was an isolated case, the commissioners held a meeting with the teachers and requested them to report back to their work stations and make an application in the manner provided under the CORT.
Macharia insisted that the information from the ground showed there was no specific insecurity incidences in Garissa and Wajir counties.
She said the only insecurity incident that affected teachers was that at Wargadud police station.
To enable the teachers settle in their work stations after the incident, the commission directed its three county directors in Northeastern and the regional director to work closely with other security agencies to ensure the teachers are accorded the necessary facilitation to work at their stations.
Macharia said the commission directed that the teachers be transferred to more secure areas as advised by the county security agencies.
“As a result, 94 teachers resumed duty while 129 teachers declined to report for work,” the TSC boss said.
Macharia said the county director, Mandera, in a bid to assist the teachers settle, transferred 18 of them to safer areas in the county.
Thereafter, seven out of the 129 teachers who had declined reported to work.
Macharia said after noting that 122 teachers had failed to report to work, the commission resolved to start a disciplinary process against them.
She said the decision to interdict the teachers was informed by the consultations between the commission and county directors of Wajir, Mandera and Garissa to ascertain the situation on the ground.
“Our decision was because of fact that the majority of teachers had reported for duty and were undertaking their assignments,” she said.
According to Macharia, transferring the 129 teachers would have triggered a mass exodus of teachers from the region that would have brought teaching and learning to a standstill.
She said the fact that the unfortunate attack was isolated in nature and only affected Wargadud town in Elwak Zone also informed the commission’s decision.
Another fact that informed the interdiction was the fact that after the incident, the commission transferred all teachers stationed in Wargadud town to other safe parts of the county.
Macharia said the move by the teachers to abscond duty violated the rights of learners.
Finally, Macharia told the senators that the teachers had worked under the Board of Management for years and had never raised any concern on insecurity in the region.
“A majority of the 129 teachers were teaching under the Board of Management previously in the region for several years and only raised the issue of insecurity when they were employed by the commission on permanent and pensionable,” she said.
Cherargei questioned whether the teachers were given an audience to explain why they absconded duty before they were interdicted.
“I have not seen in your submission where you sat down with this affected teachers. I have not seen the minutes from the meeting with the teachers. Was their side of the story heard?” the senator posed.
Macharia insisted the commission met with the said teachers twice, committing to submit a copy of the minutes from the two meetings.
Cherargei said the commission was taking the matter lightly.
“It is so sad. Why is TSC saying only one teacher died. I thought life is so sacred. Even losing just one teacher should still be considered too many,” he said.
