The Council of Governors (CoG) is working on a petition seeking to have the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to allow teachers to be deployed to their preferred working stations in their home counties, rather than being assigned based on the country's needs, as per the current policy.
Speaking during the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Annual General Meeting (AGM) Kakamega Branch on Saturday, the county's Governor Fernandes Barasa classified the matter as an urgent situation, identifying with the situation of 47,000 teachers who are currently stranded.
The Governor explained that he is working with the Council of Governors education committee to deliver a memorandum to TSC over the concerns.
"We have teachers who are serving in other counties and this is a matter we will bring up with our education committee so that all those teachers who are delocalised should return to their home counties," he stated.
"We are pushing for teachers to return home so that we can have interaction with our teachers here. This is a petition I assure I am going to push my committee of education to send the memorandum to TSC."
The commission effected the delocalisation policy in 2017 to the changrin of both teachers and the members of Parliament who argued that it was counterproductive.
In the duration since, at least 14,000 teachers were forcefully transferred from their home counties.
The policy was, however, halted in November 2022 after lobbying from MPs who called for a reversal which they wanted completed by January 31, 2023. Around 47,000 teachers have since applied to be transferred to their home counties.
While implementing the policy, TSC argued that it would help address teacher shortage in certain areas such as Northern Kenya as well as conflict prone areas.
The commission further explained that transfers depend on vacancies and a teacher's willingness to fill it.
The teachers, however, noted that the policy is detrimental citing the fact that many families are disintegrated when breadwinners are posted to far flung areas.
At the event, a representative from KNUT also assured teachers attached to the union that it is working with TSC to guarantee a pay rise to teachers.
