Principal roots for fair treatment of BoM teachers

By Erick Nyayiera

Secondary school Heads have been urged to accord Board of Management (BoM) teachers a conducive environment to enable them reach their full potential.

In a special interview with Education News, Sigoti Complex Girls Secondary School Chief Principal Joyce Abuya underscored the enormous input the teachers serving under BoMs give to public schools, taking into consideration the dire shortage of teachers in schools countrywide.

“In my experience as a teacher and most importantly as Head, I hold the opinion that public schools should put a lot of premium and investment on ensuring that TSC-registered teachers serving under BoMs are accorded the most fair treatment just like their permanent colleagues because they have always delivered results,” she stated.

She noted that with the continuous overwhelming enrolments in public schools, coupled with the latest reforms in the education sector, school Heads must contend with managing the high learner numbers in view of the dire teacher shortage.

“With the burden of work in our schools where a teacher is expected to handle hundreds of learners every day, the only solution is to invest in employing more teachers on BoM terms. They always work with zeal and determination because their work must be measured,” Abuya noted.

While acknowledging that TSC employees do great work in schools, she regretted that some of them had grown complacent over time because they are assured of their salaries and would only take little instruction from their Heads.

“I’d rather have more teachers under BoM since experience has shown that they discharge their responsibilities as a call to duty. There is a big problem when a secondary school has TSC teachers who are lazy and opinionated,” remarked the chief principal.

She appealed to schools to look into the plight of the teachers who have not been absorbed by the government and offer them better remuneration and a conducive working atmosphere to be able to achieve desired results and goals.

According to Abuya, her teachers report to work at 4 AM and stay until 9 PM, which calls for sacrifice in the best interest of the girls.