Is TSC preparing for a mass reshuffle of teachers prior to the Grade 10 Senior School implementation? Obtain responses.
The likelihood of a significant reshuffle among secondary school educators appears to be increasing as institutions gear up to welcome the initial cohort of Senior School students in January. A recent Ministry of Education report, “National Report: County-Based Dialogue on Education Quality and Learning Outcomes in Competency-Based Education (CBE),” details the transition from Junior to Senior Secondary and suggests redeploying teachers to tackle the current shortages.
The report advocates for the redistribution of teachers according to the distinct academic programs that schools provide. This could lead to thousands of educators being moved across various counties and regions.
It indicates that many schools are grappling with acute shortages, especially in technical and vocational education. This deficiency is particularly notable in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which raises worries regarding the quality of education in senior schools.
As the report emphasizes, other specialized subjects, including Music in Creative Arts, Special Needs Education (SNE), and Pre-Technical Studies, are also facing shortages.
Should the initiative proceed, it might ignite significant discussion as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) attempts to execute it. Previous large-scale relocations have frequently incited fierce resistance from teachers’ unions and local communities.
For instance, in 2018, the TSC encountered substantial protests after the rollout of a delocalisation policy, which aimed to relocate teachers from their home regions to foster national unity. Numerous teachers impacted by the policy reported challenges such as family separations, emotional turmoil, financial strain, and difficulty acclimating to new circumstances.
At that time, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) denounced the relocations, asserting that they were punitive rather than reformative and that there had been inadequate consultation prior to implementation.
