The National Assembly Education Committee has held talks with Teachers Service Commission (TSC) commissioners and senior officials to review proposed reforms to the TSC Act aimed at aligning it with the Constitution, the Competency Based Education (CBE) framework, and recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER).
The week-long engagement is also reviewing the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes proposes decentralization through zonal offices, establishment of new directorates, creation of an Institute for Teacher Professional Development, and expanded disciplinary powers for the Commission, including suspension and deregistration.
Among the key issues under discussion is the tenure of the TSC Chief Executive Officer, particularly whether the office holder should exit upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 or at the end of their contract term. Currently, the CEO serves on a five-year contract that is renewable once.
The Bill also introduces new offences, including sexual exploitation of learners, tightens entry qualifications, provides for affirmative action, and seeks to enhance diversity in Commission appointments.
During the session, the law makers raised concerns on the breadth of the amendments, coordination between TSC and the Ministry of Education on discipline, clarity on junior secondary school administration, operational costs of decentralization, and safeguards on due process.
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The TSC defended the amendment approach as constitutionally guided and necessary to strengthen professionalism and institutional continuity.
The committee and TSC officials are further examining the alignment of the TSC Act with the new curriculum, noting that the existing law does not explicitly provide for the Competency-Based Curriculum.
The Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, seeks to reform the Commission’s structure by enhancing teachers’ representation and streamlining operations across the education sector.
Barasa had said the proposed changes could save taxpayers approximately Sh70 million annually.
The Bill also proposes amendments to Section 6(3) of the TSC Act, Cap 212, to allow primary and secondary school teachers, as well as lecturers and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) instructors, to be eligible for nomination to the Commission by the President.
The Bill is currently at the committee review stage, where members are scrutinizing its provisions and may propose amendments before it is tabled in the House for further readings and a vote.
By Obegi Malack
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