Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association (KETHAWA) has urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to reserve 30 per cent of the 36,275 promotional vacancies for teachers in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) and hardship areas.
Speaking to Education News the association’s national secretary Wangonya Wangenye stated that a total of 12,092 posts should specifically be reserved for teachers in ASAL and hardship areas failure to which they will follow stipulated laws in fighting for justice of the teachers in those areas.
Wangenye noted that they will be watching and following keenly the outcome of the promotions adding that TSC should strive to ensure that, for each of the advertised positions, 30 per cent goes to teachers in ASAL and hardship areas.
He noted that they will write to the Commission to express their dissatisfaction for not coming clear on the promotion of teachers in hardship and ASAL areas and reminding them of the 30 per cent demand.
He added that if the Commission does not consider their plea they will eventually move to court to stop all the promotions.
“I will write to the Commission expressing our disappointment and requesting that moving forward, all those promotions be pegged at 30 per cent for teachers in hardship areas. Eventually, we shall wait to see the outcome of the promotions,” said Wangenye.
“In case this is not factored, we shall petition the senate, national assembly and probably move to court to stop all the promotions it is factored because this is in the spirit of equalization,” he added.
The advertised positions which the Association is demanding 30 per cent of each are Chief Principal with 34 posts, Senior Principal 108 posts, Principal 541 posts, Deputy Principal II 547 posts, Senior Lecturer I a total of 72 posts, Deputy Principal III with 1,057 posts, Senior Lecturer IV in Teacher Training Colleges with 216 posts, Secondary Teacher I with 1,928 posts, Senior Master III with 1,142 posts, Senior Master IV a total of 12,716 posts.
Headteacher with 1,049 posts and 30 posts for Special Needs Education (SNE), Deputy Headteacher II with 1,930 posts, Senior Teacher I in primary schools with 3,040 positions while for SNE total allocation being 346 positions, Senior Teacher II in primary schools with a majority of 10,819 positions, and Senior Teacher II in SNE institutions with 700 positions.
In a letter to TSC Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Nancy Macharia dated April 14, 2023, on issues affecting teachers in hardship and arid areas, the Association asked the commission and the teachers’ unions to negotiate and agree on reserving at least 30 per cent of all promotions for teachers working in hardship and arid areas to compete amongst themselves.
The letter was copied to teachers’ unions notably Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) and Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET), and the Council of Governors (COG).
According to Wangenye, 30 per cent should be considered as affirmative action adding that the commission should have specified in its advert that a certain number of positions has been reserved to teachers in hardship and ASAL areas.
He however encouraged all the teachers in hardship and ASAL areas to apply for the promotional positions advertised by TSC.
“I will encourage all teachers in hardship areas, whether you have qualified for that grade or not, you apply for whichever grade you want, and then we see the outcome,” said Wangenye.
However, in the TSC advert, the Commission noted that candidates in ASAL and Hard-to-staff counties who have served in the current grade for at least 2 years are eligible to apply for each and every grade advertised for promotion.
By Roy Hezron
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