By Our Reporter
Teachers have received a major boost after the Government introduced a special fund to help them further their studies in different disciplines rather than education-related courses.
The Government, through the Ministry of Public Service and Gender (MPSG), established Training Revolving Fund (TRF) to be administered by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Funding will be given out in the form of a loan specifically to public servants applicants including teachers and persons involved in public teaching service.
Interested applicants can borrow funds for professional self- development in any of the 84 critical listed courses.
In a Circular seen by Education News, Nancy Njeri Macharia, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Secretary and Chief Executive Officer confirmed that the MPSG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HELB to facilitate access and administer the Fund on the behalf of government.
All secretariat staff from TSC will also benefit from the arrangement to advance their studies, according to the circular dated November 14, 2022.
“The purpose of this circular is to inform all TSC employees that they can access the facility and sponsor themselves for training in the relevant professional fields,” said Macharia.
This marks a shift from the current arrangement whereby teachers are forced to go for study loans from banks, savings and credit cooperative societies (Saccos) and other microfinance institutions through their T-Pay system at high interest rates.
Under the new arrangement, teachers will be awarded between KSh30,000 and KSh500,000 per year subject to ability to pay back the loan.
HELB notes that the repayment will start one month after disbursement through the check off system with a maximum repayment period of six years or 72 months, with an interest of four per cent per year.
According to TSC, the funding consideration will only be restricted to costs related to tuition, examination, library, computer and research.
Where applicable, fees for accommodation and tuition on residential short courses will be treated as one item for the purpose of funding.
In addition, no one shall benefit from the fund more than once at the same time with successful completion of the course being restricted to the stipulated period.
The Training Revolving Fund will not meet expenses occasioned by repetition of course.
The courses should be offered in local training institutions for consideration of funding with application for further funding being considered on reasonable grounds.
Where beneficiaries exit the Public Service, further disbursement will cease.
In the new arrangement, apart from teachers being public servants, beneficiaries are required to have completed the probation period and completed two years since completion of a long course.
They would also be required to have completed one year since the completion of a short course, and further commence their studies during the financial year when the funds are awarded.
Further to the provisions under the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT), the Commission may grant study leave to a teacher who has enrolled for full time studies and has worked for the TSC for a minimum of five years except for rehabilitation cases.
In addition, they are required to have served for a minimum of three years since the expiry of a previous study leave, whether such leave was with or without pay except for Kenya Institute of Special Needs Education (KISE) certificate cases where one shall be required to serve for one year.
The previous beneficiaries of HELB loans are required to have completed repayment or been servicing the loan for at least six months to qualify for the loan under the TRF.
After fulfilling the set requirements, applicants shall be required to fill an application form which shall be available at the HELB website for online application.
Besides, they would be required to sign a loan agreement form when applying for the funds and submit the forms along with the required supporting documents.
The supporting documents include application forms in hard copy or electronic, certified copy of the applicant’s national ID and copies of the latest three month’s pay slips, copy of admission letter from a recognized institution.
A recommendation letter from the employer signed by the Accounting Officer or designated officer indicating the approved course, personal number (admission number) and designation of the officer proceeding for training; and certified copies of national IDs of guarantors who must be serving in a Ministry, Department, Service Commission or County government.
Recently, the Commission made changes on its study leave policy, noting changes in the teaching service which include introduction of the new curriculum-Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), and subsequent introduction of new courses in the higher institutions of learning, as well as emerging external factors like the Covid-19 pandemic that negatively impacts the teaching service.
The last circular on study leave Policy was issued in December 2012, whereas the review of the CORT was done in 2015 and as such there has been disharmony between the two documents.
