TSC failure to promote tutors irks lawmakers

A House committee yesterday threatened to surcharge the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over its failure to promote 15,522 teachers and recruit 5,000 interns despite funds being set aside for the two exercises.

The move came after TSC failed to give satisfactory answers as to why the commission failed to employ and promote the said teachers, some of whom have been stagnating in one position for more than five years.

TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia ran into trouble with the lawmakers when she claimed that the reason behind the delays is due to a congested calendar, which made it impossible for them to carry out the exercise.

She however clarified that the recruitment of the 5,000 interns will be done concurrently with the recruitment of the 30,000 teachers set to take place next year while the promotion of teachers will be done once they conclude with the National exams.

The Commission had in June this year said it would employ 5000 interns in order to bridge the shortage of teachers in the country.

 “We have had a very congested calendar but I promise after this we will be able to do this, we will actually advertise, we have an appraisal system which we look at whenever we want to promote teachers,” she said.

Macharia, who had been invited by the National Assembly Education committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly to respond to queries relating to recruitment and delocalisation of teachers, disclosed that they will employ the 15,522 teachers at a cost of Sh1.4 billion.

The vacancies, she noted, occurred due to natural attrition either by death of the teacher or whenever a teacher leaves the institution.

“The outcry the honourable members are talking about should subside, because once we promote head teachers we shall go down to their deputies which has a ripple effect on the other teacher,” she said.

Her sentiments came after the committee said it was unfortunate that TSC had failed to meet its part of the bargain by failing to promote teachers as well as employ others despite the government putting aside money for the exercise.

During the meeting, the committee said it was high time someone took responsibility for the acts of omission on the part of the commission.

MPs Eve Obara (Kabondo Kasipul), Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Malulu Injendi (Malava), Jerusha Momany (Nyamira Woman Representative), Kipchumba Toroitich (Marakwet East), Peter Orero (Kibra), RebeccaTonkei (Narok Woman Representative), Phyllis Bartoo (Moiben), Dick Maungu (Luanda) and Abdi Ali (Ijara) said it is sad that while there are unemployed teachers in the country yet the commission had failed to employ new ones.

The MPs said the teachers who missed out on the promotions  stood to suffer as their failure to move to new job groups would have a bearing on their pension.

“This is a very serious issue which we are not going to sweep under the carpet, what are you going to do with these people who have already retired? Who is going to pay these teachers who have retired, you will soon retire and I am hoping that you will not suffer like you have made these teachers suffer,” said Melly.