1,500 school heads transferred

By Standard Team

The Ministry of Education has transferred more than 1,000 head teachers and principals countrywide.

The Standard has established that primary school head teachers, their deputies and secondary school principals have been moved in what the ministry explained was aimed at improving performance in both primary and secondary schools.

The ministry seems to have transferred the large number of teachers at a go in line with long- long-time requests by stakeholders that transfers be done only at the end of the year to avoid disrupting learning in schools.

When we reached TSC Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni on Thursday, he confirmed the transfers, but sought to downplay the magnitude.

"The number is minimal, that is 40 to 50 heads per district in all the 6,000 schools countrywide.

Most of those affected had overstayed in their stations, others were transferred owing to discipline cases while others requested to be taken outside their home areas.

Central Provincial Director of Education Patrick Nyagosia said the transfers in his province affected schools that did not post impressive results.

He said: "It is normal for the ministry to transfer teachers whose schools decline in performance."

"There are a lot of changes, but they are not punitive as it is within the mandate of the TSC to transfer teachers, especially the heads," said Mr Nyagosia.

Speaking to The Standard on telephone, the PDE observed that the transfers were also in line with recommendations of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, which advised the ministry to move teachers regularly.

"The committee discovered in most institutions where strikes were rife, the principals and their deputies had overstayed, hence leading to negligence," said Nyagosia.

The National Chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Cleophas Tirop said the transfers were normal and had been effected at the right time.

"We have all agreed in the past that the transfers be effected at the end of the year so as not to disrupt learning and other programmes in schools," Mr Tirop said.

He said stakeholders make recommendations to TSC on the transfers of the head teachers.

He, however, said he was yet to receive the list of the head teachers who were affected.

In Mombasa, Coast Provincial Director of Education Tom Majani confirmed the transfers but refused to comment, saying he was away.

"Call my office and someone will give you details of the transfers at the Coast," he said. But staff at the Coast Provincial Education Office refused to release the names because the affected teachers had not received their letters.

"Let me confirm to you that we have transferred the teachers. But since most of them have not received their letters, I cannot give you their names, a senior officer said.

staying put

The statement said the teachers were moved from one school to another in the more than 230 public schools in the region.

But some of the 91 secondary head teachers in Nyanza Province who were transferred have declined to move to their new stations, terming the transfers unfair and punitive.

"My school has recorded improved performance in the last two years, why am I being transferred?" posed one of the affected head teachers, who sought anonymity.

However, the Nyanza Provincial Director of Education, Geoffrey Cherongis, said 75 per cent of the head teachers have already moved.

Mr Cherongis said they could consider cases of administrators who have declined to move on individual cases.

"We will consider them on merit. Those with genuine concerns will be taken care of," he told The Standard, on Thursday.

The PDE said the transfers were carried out two weeks ago.

Some of the head teachers who have been moved told The Standard they have already reported to their new stations.

From Rift Valley, 82 secondary school head teachers have been transferred in a recent mass transfer of teachers countrywide.

Rift Valley Provincial Director of Education Beatrice Adu said the transfers affected teachers who had overstayed in one station for a long time.

She said other teachers who were moved were those in schools that had been recording poor performance.

The official, however, described the number of schools affected as negligible, as there are 1,500 secondary schools in the vast province.

"We have made several changes geared towards improving performance and management in public secondary schools," she added.

The PDE said the transfers were effected in most of the 63 districts in the province, from Kajiado to Turkana.

Adu defended the exercise saying it was necessary as some of the school heads had been in one station for a long period of time.

Overstayed

"In some cases we had heads who had stayed in one school for 15 to 20 years and we thought it was important that they be moved," she said.

Last year, learning in most of the schools in the province was affected following post-election violence that hit the region.

Many of the teachers left and sought transfers to areas outside the region where they felt safer, which affected schools in the province.

Western PDE Kenneth Misoi confirmed transfers, but declined to say how many were affected.

"I’m away now. Wait till Monday and I will give you the breakdown of the transfers," said Mr Misoi.

However, reports from western indicated that some teachers were resisting the transfers and were waiting to have an audience with the PDE on Monday.

— Reports by Ngumbao Kithi, Job Weru, Vitalis Kimutai, Karanja Njoroge, Peter Atsiaya and Mangoa Mosota

 

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