Some teachers who are believed to be fearing their fast-approaching retirement are thronging the offices of persons living with disabilities in the country to apply for disability documents to extend their retirement to 65 years.
Education News has exclusively learnt that the number of teachers having disability cards is on the rise, yet the disabilities they have can’t be easily identified.
In a shocking revelation, head teachers in their mid-50s lead the pack. Another cohort comprises teachers who took a long time to be employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
“How do I compensate for the eight years the TSC had not employed me?” asked Okwaro, a teacher from Busia County. He further said that he had to look for a disability card after he feigned low vision.
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During the January promotional interviews, Education News established that a good number of teachers were quick to produce disability cards after they learnt that those with disabilities were easily promoted.
“The increase in the number of teachers with disability cards shocked many panellists as most cardholders looked normal,” wondered one of the field officers from Eldoret City.
The surge in the number of head teachers acquiring disability cards is attributed to the fact that the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) they are now managing attract more funding than many sub-county secondary schools.
Thus, it is presumed that the managers wouldn’t want to leave the financially lucrative seats soon. Other sources tied the incident to teachers’ attempts to evade taxation, which has seen their income plummet in the last three years.
It is becoming clear that TSC lacks a proper mechanism for assessing and determining disability claims. Amongst its teachers, it seems easy to manipulate the National Council for Persons Living with Disabilities offices and obtain disability cards.
By Naboth Murunga
