By Michael Oduor
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) in Taita Taveta County have rejected the recently launched and advertised Teachers Professional Development (TPD) training in totality.
According to a press release by KUPPET Secretary General Mr. Shedrack Mutungi, teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission and working in Taita Taveta County have rejected the compulsory retraining of teachers named in the TPD.
KUPPET Taita Taveta branch stated that it is the responsibility of the employer to identify capacity gaps in the teaching service and find ways of addressing it.
The press release further stated that it is the sole responsibility of the employer to budget and cater for the total cost of the retraining or any other form of capacity building including the incidental costs.
Teachers in Taita Taveta County have the opinion that it is unconstitutional to force teachers to go back to the colleges and retrain. A program which they say did not go through public participation as enshrined in the 2010 constitution. Teachers put forth that they were not consulted and therefore, they have unanimously rejected it.
They also stated that the research which was done to identify gaps in teachers training was against the scientific method on allegations that there is no way that all teachers in the country and those in colleges could have been found unfit to offer teaching services.
Teachers have the opinion that the refresher course which will compel an employee to be a student in his or her working life is outdated and unpalatable.
In addition, the teachers stated that this training is not an emergency and that the employer must withdraw it and hold consultative meetings with the relevant stakeholders on the best options to roll it out if at all it is of any importance. They added that the employer must take care of the total cost for the entire 30 years of the program of every individual teacher.
“The training is not an emergency, and therefore, the employer MUST withdraw and hold consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders on the best options to roll it out if at all it is of any importance. The employer must take care of the total cost for the entire 30 years of the program of every individual teacher,” stated the press release.
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