Teachers Raise Concern Over New TSC Entry Qualifications

KNUT Secretary-General Wilson Sossion addresses journalists in Nairobi on May, 16 2019
KNUT Secretary-General Wilson Sossion addresses journalists in Nairobi on May, 16 2019
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Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion and his counterpart Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairperson, Omboko Milemba have raised concern over the changes proposed by TSC to course requirements undertaken by tutors before they are allowed to join the work force.

Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Friday, May 28, Sossion intimated that the commission had no power to make the decision unilaterally and should have instead involved other education stakeholders.

“TSC should have involved KNUT, which is a teachers’ union. The demands by TSC are a violation of the terms and conditions of employment,” Sossion intimated.

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Teachers Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia addresses the media in January 2020 in Nairobi
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KUPPET's Milemba on his part called for a consortium of all stakeholders in the education sector to deliberate on the proposal.

He argued that the move would lead to a shortage of teachers as students who met the high requirements would opt for other professions.

Milemba stated that when the levels of requirements for the Teacher Training Colleges were increased, the number of enrolling students dropped, killing the TTCs.

“This framework proposes that a teacher will be required to have a  C+ for sciences and B+ for all teaching subjects. That is the kind of candidate who will go for law, sciences and other professions,” Milemba commented.

The KUPPET Chair added that TSC should not overstep its mandate as an employer to become a professional body that dictates standards and quality of persons who are supposed to join the profession.

“This then requires that we have to move quickly in parliament and create a professional body for the teachers of Kenya,” Milemba reiterated.

He declared that KUPPET as a union will be opposing and do not support the framework. Milemba divulged that KUPPET would release its full report in a week after studying and understanding it.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Omboko Milemba (right) and Secretary General Akello Misori during a past address.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Omboko Milemba (right) and Secretary General Akello Misori during a past address.
Daily Nation

In the proposal, teachers will be expected to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course or a Bachelor of Science for a period of three years.

After attaining the Degree, they will be expected to enroll for post-graduate course for a period of one year before they are cleared to apply for TSC number. Thousands of teachers had previously pursued Bachelor of Education Degrees, a program which is being scrapped off.