By Azael Masese
The Teachers’ employer has moved to address complaints regarding payment of House and Hardship Allowances affecting nearly 1,200 of its Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) occasioned by wrong mapping of work stations.
According to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), several of the concerned officers have either been underpaid or overpaid the allowances since they have been placed on wrong pay stations in the payroll.
As a result, the Commission is set to re-organise the work stations for its Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) and subsequently revise their house and hardship allowances.
Instead of the four tier house allowance adopted based on the mapping of boundaries under the county stations, it will now categorise the CSO work station in each county into three classes.
The current structure classifies the work stations into Nairobi, former major municipalities, former municipalities and other areas.
Consequently, the CSO station per county will classify its curriculum support officers under other area, municipality and hardship.
However, it is not yet clear what each cluster will entail in their new allowances.
The change, according to an internal memo dated July 5, 2018 seen by Education News, follows a mapping hitch where some CSOs have been earning more yet they deserve less and the reverse could be true.
“In a recent payroll audit, it was established that a few CSOs are coded under municipality while they are stationed at zones that are outside the urban area,” the internal memo written by J.W Ndege, the Deputy Director, Integrated Personnel Payroll Data (IPPD) reads in part.
In the memo copied to the Director (HRM and D), Senior Deputy Director (HRM), Deputy Director (HRM) and Deputy Director (FS), Ndege states that mapped boundaries of the respective County stations were maintained even with the adoption of a Four Tier House Allowance system thus affecting the pay of the officers.
Previously, the CSO was referred to as the TAC Tutor and is tasked with the monitoring of curriculum implementation.
Curriculum Support Officers are also bestowed with the responsibility of identifying the training needs of teachers and Head of institutions, and accordingly advise the Commission.
In liaison with the TSC County Directors and school administrators, they provide support services to teachers and continuously advise on teaching techniques, selection of appropriate text books, lesson demonstrations and the challenges noted during assessments.
They are also expected to assist teachers to develop teaching aids and other reference materials, more so, update teachers on curriculum changes, pedagogy, content coverage and any other emerging issues in the teaching service.
CSOs visit schools, observe teaching techniques, give demonstration lessons and advice teachers on the methods and resources needed for effective teaching and learning, besides assisting teachers to develop and use appropriate teaching and learning materials.
There are about 1,200 curriculum support officers serving under the Teacher Service Commission in the country. The entry for non-graduate CSO is Job Group L referred to as C3 and can rise to job group N known as C5.
Graduate CSO can enter at job group L and rise to job group R currently known as D5 the highest in the teaching profession.
Following the 2017 revised house allowance rates, those in job group L currently referred to as C3 and based in Nairobi earn about 28,000 per month while those in major former municipalities earn about Sh22, 000 per month.
Former major municipalities include Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Malindi and Kitale.
Those in the same job group based in former municipalities take home Sh16, 000 per month and those classified as other areas earn about Sh13, 000 per month as house allowance.
Those in Job Group N known as C5 and based in Nairobi earn about Sh35, 000 and those in major former municipalities earn an average of Sh25, 000.
Curriculum Support Officers in former municipalities and in job group N earn about Sh18, 000 per month and those in other areas take home Sh15, 400.
Those in job group R and based in Nairobi take home Sh50, 000 per month while those located in the former major municipalities earn Sh35, 000.
In 2016, a good number of these officers were subjected to suitability interviews to determine their competencies. Those who did not meet the required standards were re-deployed back to class, to teach.
