KUPPET, KNUT and ministry differ on new rules to select head teachers

Head teachers during their annual delegates’ conference held at Sheikh Zayed hall in Mombasa this year.

NAIROBI, KENYA: Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and two teachers unions have opposed new regulations by the Ministry of Education on selection of school heads.

In proposals contained in the draft Basic Education Regulations 2014, the ministry wants all heads of institutions appointed by the Cabinet secretary.

TSC, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) maintained that recruitment and promotion of all teachers is a preserve of TSC.

If adopted, all school head teachers will be required to apply afresh for their positions.

According to the regulations, new persons may be hired to manage schools in cases where the current head teachers demonstrate that they are unable to manage school resources.

DOCUMENT 'DISHONEST'

The new rules also propose that all heads of institutions will serve for five years and shall be eligible for reappointment for a second and final third term of similar number of years.

The regulations provide that after serving two terms of five years in the same school, the official may be reappointed for a third term to serve in a different school.

These proposals are contained under section 92 of the draft Basic Education Regulations 2014.

Knut and and Kuppet Tuesday united to reject the proposals and termed the document 'dishonest and bordering on provocation.'

They said that legally, its only TSC that has powers to recruit and added that the ministry had no right to usurp that role.

It also emerged that the unions and ministry officials met last week and agreed on various contentious issues in the document only for the ministry to 'renege' on the same.

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KUPPET KNUT TSC