The Teachers Service Commission, (TSC) has declared that teachers being promoted to Secondary Schools principals and deputies must have master’s degree in a relevant subject under the Competency Based Education, (CBE) curriculum.
The Commission also reiterated that Primary School Head teachers and their deputies will also be required to have bachelor’s degree in education.
The new guideline also states that a teacher must have served as a deputy head or an equivalent position in secondary school for at least three years and they should have successfully undertaken the relevant Teacher Professional Development, (TPD) Modules and have met the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.
Also for a teacher become a deputy of a post primary institution, they must have a bachelor’s degree in education or any other recognized equivalent qualification and must have demonstrated competence as a classroom teacher and senior master in secondary school.
The Commission also said that those teachers interested in the positions of dean or registrar at a college must have a bachelor’s degree in education or an equivalent recognized qualification as well as a master’s degree in a relevant subject and must demonstrate competence as an assistant teacher and senior master.
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According the teachers employer, the new guidelines place greater emphasis on academic qualifications, professional development and leadership experience, a move that has been opposed by the teacher unions, maintaining that the changes are discriminatory and abrupt.
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, (KUPPET) Deputy Secretary General, Moses Nthurima said the directive risks locking out long-serving and experienced tutors who do not have master’s degree or even are not able to pursue one due to health or age issues.
He added that it has come too sudden, without giving teachers time to prepare saying that TSC should review it in order not to sideline experienced teachers.
Kenya National Union of Teachers, (KNUT) Deputy Secretary general also called for proper sensitization of teachers before such changes are implemented adding that many teachers view the promotional guidelines as punitive as some are separated from their families
By Juma Ndigo
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