Retooling for 19000 newly-recruited teachers commences nationwide
Over 19000 teacher interns, hired towards the end of the previous year, commenced training in various counties throughout the country on April 22, with appeals for higher reimbursement rates from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Several teachers who communicated with Education News expressed dissatisfaction with the low rates that fail to adequately align with the soaring demands of living.
“The training locations are quite distant this time. We are forced to rent accommodations to save time,” remarked Dennis, a teacher intern from Busia County.
It was noted that, in contrast to last year’s retooling, most locations were altered due to a decline in some school administrations’ willingness to host the program, citing a prolonged delay in reimbursement for services rendered by the commission.
A survey conducted on the initial day of the retooling indicated that most centers in the Western region commenced the program earlier than anticipated. By 9 am, trainees had filled many centers.
In Navakholo, the program began early, with the TSC County Director stressing the importance of complete attendance by the teachers.
In the Eastern region, the event commenced smoothly, with Trainer of Trainers (TOTs) noting that the training proceeded at a relatively slow pace due to the trainees’ unfamiliarity with competency-based curricula.
In the Kangundo Sub-county, the number of male and female trainees was equal.
In the central region, many training centers were visited by financial institutions, which, according to the trainees, took up a significant portion of the time intended for training activities.
Additionally, the trainees expressed their concerns at several venues about the trainers engaging in extended discussions that strayed from the training content.
A few centers in the Rift Valley region began the activity late, such as the Kilgoris Sub-county, which started at 10:36 am. A malfunctioning projector frequently interrupted the session in the Ainabkoi Sub-county.
Significantly, April’s retooling initiative commenced well at most centers nationally. Special Needs Education (SNE) training occurred at the county level.
This time, the number of trainees was significantly lower. It was found that only age-based trainees from SNE institutions, including those focused on hearing, visual, and physical disabilities, were invited.