Teachers have rejected a directive by their employer to undergo retraining terming the costs of the programme as unreasonable.
Through the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET), teachers have petitioned Parliament to halt the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) directive, stating that the Ksh6,000 training fee is too high.
Emuhaya Member of Parliament, Omboko Milemba, who doubles up as KUPPET chairman, stated that it was unfair for the teachers to be charged for the training, given the financial struggles facing them.
Milemba added that the government should fund the program through the Ministry of Education.
“We recommend that the Ministry of Education should take over implementation of the Teacher Professional Development (PTD) program as an integral part of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC),” Milemba stated.
The MPs led by National Assembly Minority Leader, John Mbadi, backed the teachers’ petition stating that it was unacceptable for tutors to pay for the program.
“I wonder whether TSC looks at the pay slips of teachers. Why do you tell teachers to pay for the refresher courses? This is unacceptable,” he stated.
Mbadi further lamented that teachers were being treated unfairly, adding that government should pay training fees for all civil servants.
“Parliament takes refresher courses. We go for benchmarking among others. It is funded through taxpayers’ money. Why would we object teachers to paying for their refresher courses?” Mbadi posed.
On his part, former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General, Wilson Sossion, took to the floor of the House to state that the program was unsustainable.
“What TSC is doing is not a continuous capacity building. This is a business flagship program that is meant to regulate and renew the licenses of teachers,” Sossion stated.
National Assembly Speaker, Justin Muturi, directed the Education Committee of the House to investigate the matter.
On September 22, 2021, TSC announced that all public school teachers would renew their professional certification after every five years under the Teacher Professional Development (PTD) program.
