Fears of retirement push some TSC staff to fake disabilities

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been advised not to be lenient to the point of extending retirement periods to unscrupulous employees who produce false disability documents as their retirement approaches.

A section of unemployed teachers and union officials who spoke to Education News on the issue, wondered why TSC employees fear retirement to the extent of lying about having disability to have their retirement age capped at 65 years.

“We need to join the service, and here are men and women who are clinging to the commission despite their years betraying them,” said Norbert, an unemployed teacher from Nairobi.

Gladys echoed his sentiments from Nambale in Busia, who said she knows of a teacher who taught her mother, herself, and who is now teaching her son, as the old man has recently acquired a disability card.

“His disability cannot be ascertained as he looks fine physically,” added Gladys.

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Incidents of TSC employees obtaining disability cards are reportedly on the rise, including non-employed teachers who have discovered that the documents can easily facilitate their absorption into the commission.

Additionally, Human Resource Officers, clerks, and subordinate staff are reported to have joined the bandwagon.

Education News has learned that genuine cases of teachers with disabilities are sometimes denied documents due to failure to comply with the instructions of officers conducting assessments at the National Council for Persons Living with Disabilities (NCPWD) offices.

“TSC needs to have its assessment centre to root out ungeniuine cases,” said a Union official from Nairobi.

Retirement appears to be causing nightmares among a sizable number of TSC employees. One senior TSC official, reached for comment, attributed the trend to a lack of preparedness for retirement among TSC employees.

“Some employees still have a lot of responsibilities at the time they are retiring. So, they fear that retirement might disorganise their plan, but they have their pension to cushion them”.

Records at various TSC offices revealed that there are several teachers pending requests and awaiting approval as employees living with disabilities. If approved, this will mean they will be exempt from paying taxes and their retirement will be extended by five years.