By Education News Team
To attract more students to take up teaching as a gainful profession in North Eastern region, and in various pockets of the Coastal strip, a motion has been moved in Parliament for the Ministry of Education Science and Technology to lower entry mark to Teacher Training Colleges to be D+ (Plus).
In the same motion, coiled around Affirmative Action, the Government through Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been asked to hire Untrained Teachers (UTs) who would replace the Non-local teachers fleeing Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Lamu and Tana River areas due to insecurity caused by marauding Al-Shabaab militants.
According to the details of the motion already tabled on the floor of the August House by Nominated MP, Wilson Sossion, and seconded by various Members of Parliament on both Jubilee and Nasa sides, this cadre of teachers (UTs) would undergo In-service training during school holidays – April, August and December to acquire pedagogical skills. And after covering the Teacher Training Curriculum, they would be awarded Diploma.
The Affirmative Action has been settled on as the main solution to cure the perennial teacher shortages in North Eastern, Lamu and Tana River after TSC transferred Non-local teachers from the regions following terrorist attacks on teachers and their families.
At the time of Press, TSC had confirmed that over 200 teachers had been transferred in Wajir County alone; the number is likely to shoot up.
The number of teachers moved to safer places in Mandera, Garissa, Lamu, Tana River and Kerio Valley was not available.
The Commission also confirmed that a number of schools had closed down due to lack of teachers, while others had merged due to shortage of tutors.
For instance, teachers of Batatu Primary School in Wajir County fled to Nairobi, leaving the Head teacher alone after the Somali-based Al-Shabaab militants struck the neighbourhood.
In a related development, the Commission Chief Executive, Nancy Macharia has called on the County Directors to ensure that Non-local teachers serving in volatile areas like Wajir, Garissa, Mandera among others are posted to serve in schools near urban centres where they can conveniently access accommodation, transport facilities and emergency services.
“This will enhance their integration into the host community, and ease the burden of travelling to their stations of work,” said Macharia in a circular (NO: 2/2018) addressed to County Directors and Sub-county Directors dated March 1st, 2018.
The Commission boss further directed that teachers posted to their home or neighbouring counties should be equally distributed within the county to lessen acute shortage of tutors. “Regular teacher rationalization and red-distribution is undertaken to ensure the safety of all teachers’
“Teachers who are faced with proven cases of insecurity and or hostile working environment are transferred urgently to prevent loss of life. Teachers who require medical attention or psychosocial support are granted the requisite leave as per the Code of Regulations or transferred to schools where they can access the necessary attention,” observed Macharia.
She asked County Directors to liaise with other educational stakeholders including Boards of Management and County Governments to ensure that teachers are supported to settle at their work stations.
“It is imperative that teachers are served with courtesy and dignity whenever they seek services at all TSC offices. While you are expected to strictly enforce the Code of Regulations for Teachers and Ethics, you are reminded that as managers of the Teaching Service, you should be mindful of the teachers’ welfare with a view to promoting productivity and service delivery to learners,” Macharia told County Directors.
