A leadership crisis is looming in a number of secondary schools in the country following the increasing rate of Principals retiring without subsequent replacement hence raising alarm among education stakeholders.
This has led to the affected schools being manned by deputies who act as principals while in other scenario some schools have acting deputies who are also acting as principals since no substantive replacement of the retiring Principals.
In Nyamira County for instance, majority of the Principals have retired while others are on the line up of retiring before the end of April this year; a situation that might lead to a leadership crisis in the county.
Kisii County Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Chairman Job Oira blamed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for taking long in replacing principals who have already retired.
According to Oira for the last two years, school principals who have retired in the county have not been replaced and the number is growing up, noting that majority of the secondary schools administration is currently under the leadership of the deputy principals on acting capacity.
“It is also unfortunate the majority of the deputies who are on acting capacity do not meet the qualifications of being a principal in case they were to be considered for promotion by the employer,” said Orina.
He added: “These deputies who do not have qualifications for headship are likely to mess up with the institutions in their administration because they already know that they cannot be considered for promotion to become principals.”
Oira challenged the TSC to move with speed in making sure that the retired principals have been replaced so as to avert the administrative crisis.
Other schools which are in similar situation include Moi Siongoroi Girls’ High School which is a big school in Bomet County being manned by an acting deputy who is also an acting Principal following the retirement of the Principal early this year.
Stephen Kositany Girls School, which is a boarding school in Nandi County, is also in similar state, same as Seku Girls in Uasin Gishu County; and it is not known why TSC has not replaced the Principals.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Narok Executive Secretary, Charles Ng’eno stated there is luck of goodwill from the employer TSC since it has no clear succession plan.
“What is lucking in the Commission is a succession plan. The Commission doesn’t know very well Principals who are set to retire and in which year. We have continuously asked that the Commission to promote teachers so that we don’t have anybody acting. Let the Commission promote teachers so that we can solve that problem of acting,” said Ng’eno.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu stated that it is high time the Commission go back to the early ways where promotion of teachers was left to regions and also based on experience.
“We should go back to the old norms of promotion where your experience is important that the grade. Experience is not taught, it is literally seen to have happened at a certain level. Somebody must be somewhere to check on me and see that I really qualify, and I have ability to run an institution as a Principal basing on what I did as a Deputy Principal,” explained Oyuu.
He added that promotion of teachers should now be left to counties so that recommendations can come from the same county for the case of promotions since there are County Directors who do supervisory roles and they are able to tale teachers’ abilities.
There are about 9,077 public secondary schools in the country which are being managed by Principals at different TSC Scale and Grade , comprising of 112 National schools that includes 52 boys’, 55 girls’, and 5 mixed schools; and 776 Extra County Schools that includes 361 boys’, 349 girls’, and 66 mixed schools.
These category of schools are normally being managed by Chief Principals at T-Scale 15 whereby for one to be appointed at this position need to have served as a Senior Principal at T-Scale 14 or in an equivalent position for a minimum period of three (3) years.
A total of 1, 378 County Schools comprising of 353 boys’, 516 girls’ and 509 mixed schools and 6,776 Sub-County Schools which includes 167 boys’, 312 girls’ and 6,297 mixed schools.
As per the TSC policy, County Schools are supposed to be run by Senior Principals at T-Scale 14 where for appointment to the position you are required to have served as a Principal at T-Scale 13 or in an equivalent position for a minimum period of three (3) years.
Sub County and all Day Schools are supposed to be administered by Principal at T- Scale 13 whereby for appointment you need to serve as a Deputy Principal at T-Scale 12 or in an equivalent position for a minimum period of three (3) years.
By Education News reporter
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Teachers need to be promoted automatically. For example, there are teachers who have stayed in one job group for over 10 years. What other qualifications do they need to b e moved to the next job group. These is enough evidence.