TSC, unions clash with Ministry over teachers’ management

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion, with national chairman Mudzo Nzili, during a consultative stakeholders meeting in Nairobi on Thursday. The union is opposed to changes proposed by the Ministry of Education. [Photos: Willis Awandu/Standard]

A crucial meeting called to discuss regulations to operationalise the Basic Education Act turned into a shouting match between the teachers unions and senior Ministry of Education staff.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) staff also ganged up with the two unions to shoot down proposals that would water down their firm grip on secondary and primary head teachers.

At the centre of the heated debate was the proposed definition of ‘head of institution’ that unions and TSC staff said would wrestle management of teachers from them.

The ministry wants a head of institution to mean a “person who exercises delegated authority of Cabinet Secretary in-charge of education to manage and account for all resources accrued to the institution.”

The document also says: “This authority shall be exercised by appointment of head of an institution by the cabinet secretary.”

This means that the heads will answer to the Cabinet Secretary in charge of education, even as TSC is mandated under the constitution to employ, promote and discipline all teachers. This definition technically means that the ministry will have direct control of the 30,000 school heads.

Former Education Secretary Kiragu wa Magochi, who led the team from the Ministry said a strong definition that would make head teachers accountable is necessary given the huge resources under their control.

But the Kenya National Union of teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) said a definition can be arrived at that preserves the constitutional powers of the teachers’ employer.

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion, said the proposal tabled for discussion pointed at possibility of introduction of two sets of power in schools. A senior TSC official also said it would be a ‘dangerous precedent’ to make the definition operational.

Dangerous precedent

“This means we shall have a person in charge of education curriculum implementation and another one in charge of accounting and management of school resources,” said Mary Rotich, TSC Deputy Staffing Officer. If definition is adopted, all school head teachers may apply a fresh to be considered to head their current institutions. New persons may be hired to manage the schools in cases where the current head teachers indicate they are unable to manage school resources.

And alternatively, the current principals will have another person recruited by the ministry to head the institution specifically to manage resources and account for finances.

The ministry also wants all heads of institutions to only serve a term of five years and shall be eligible for reappointment for a second and final third term of similar number of years. The regulations propose that a person shall only head an institution for 15 years. However, after servicing two terms of five years in the same school, the official may be reappointed for a third and final term to serve in a different school.

Knut and TSC officials gathered at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development opposed the proposals even as the Ministry staff endorsed it.

Sossion and his national chairman Mudzo Nzili, demanded the proposed definition expunged and a consensus built, moving forward.

He said the definition must take note of the two definitions of secondary school principal and primary head teacher as defined in the TSC Act. The Act defines a head teacher as “the lead educator or administrator in a primary school level educational institution appointed by the Commission as such, and responsible for the implementation of the educational policy guidelines and professional practices.”

It also defines a principal as: “Lead educator or administrator in a post-primary school level educational institution appointed by the Commission as such, and responsible for the implementation of educational policy guidelines and professional practices.”

Kuppet national chairman Omboko Milemba, said the union shall only endorse the regulations once the definition is redone.

“Once we fix the definition, the rest of the issues will be fine. But we must also be involved in refining the definition of head of institution,” said Milemba. The meeting resolved that a team of legal experts from the Ministry of Education, TSC and representation from the two teachers unions be involved in drafting a new definition for head of institution.

The meeting was attended by Ministry of Education county directors, Kenya Private Schools Association, parents associations and the two school heads associations.