1. The Star Newspaper (Kenya) and AllAfrica.com (Cape Town) Wednesday, April 16, 2014
It’s the TSC Job to Recruit, Manage Nursery Teachers,
allafrica.com/It's TSC Job to Hire KG Teachers
The gridlock between the Teachers Service Commission and county governments over the recruitment of Early Childhood Education teachers is unnecessary.
Article 237 of the constitution clearly gives TSC powers to recruit and manage teachers in its employ; while empowering county governments, as per The Fourth Schedule part 2 (9), to manage pre-primary education and childcare facilities – not teachers. Even Education Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi concurs.
Why then is the TSC best-placed for the role in comparison to counties?
First, TSC's policy of employing older graduates before giving the newbies a chance promotes fairness, tribal, gender, and regional balance. The commission has perfected that in its long history, since its inception in the year 1967; therefore ascertaining that it is indeed the best body to manage educators.
It could be argued that devolution of pre-primary education gives wananchi a legitimate say in matters education. However, let us take a look at the picture drawn by their representatives, namely MCAs and governors, as regards devolution of education and - to bolster my argument - other services as well.
Doctors complaining about disrespect by some MCAs resigned en masse from public hospitals. If MCAs can humiliate lifesaving professionals; what about ECDE teachers? Will educational performance improve if teachers are mishandled?
Last December, the media reported the plight of ECDE teachers in Nyeri county who were made to work as parking attendants and revenue collectors during the August and December holidays. Is it fair yet there are people employed for those jobs?
A few weeks later, the Garissa governor proposed the sacking of head teachers as the panacea for poor education standards in his county; forgetting that education has three major players: parents, teachers and pupils. Isn't that an arbitrary decision?
Though some may argue that the above cases do not justify a blanket condemnation of teachers management by devolved governments; ignoring them is akin to burying our heads in the sand and suffocating the system.
It is intriguing that governors and senators, who for the better part of the year have been embroiled in supremacy battles, have a common stand on this issue.
The Council of Governors chairman Isaac Rutto and the Senate's Committee on Education and Information chairman Mutahi Kagwe maintain that the recruitment of ECDE teachers is purely a county government function.
Secondly, the academic performance of ECDE pupils is of paramount importance. Who is better placed to inspire pupils than a teacher free from possible disdain by MCAs and governors? Some analysts attribute poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination to poor elementary education. The Kenya National Examination Council says some candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination can hardly construct a sentence in English or Kiswahili - can they score any better in KCSE?
If ECDE pupils are to be taught by the best teachers who will stump out the academic rot and enhance co-curricular activities, then it is imperative that
TCS hires them as opposed to counties where witch-hunting, nepotism, and favouritism are rife.
With the stage set for the creation of an Education Appeals Tribunal, the welfare and discipline of ECDE teachers, for instance, can be extended to the tribunal if decisions made by TSC seem unfair. On the other hand, though decisions made by counties can be challenged at the courts, the process is lengthy. The tribunal could not have come at a better time than this, when a person no less than the Chief Justice, Willy Mutunga, recently recommended the application of alternative justice due to a backlog in the courts.
Let the ISO-certified TSC do its job as enshrined in the constitution. On
April 9, it was reported that the commission has already developed a scheme of service for ECDE teachers with nine grades of teachers' cadres and seven grades of assistant teachers. This will put scenarios where the teachers are assigned odd jobs behind us.
It is not my intention to undermine odd jobs, especially as - with a light touch - President Uhuru and Deputy President William Ruto are self-appointed clerk and messenger; the fact is, under TSC, ECDE teachers will have the much-awaited job description and security coupled with accountability.
The writer is a high school teacher.
