Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers have demanded the reinstatement of colleagues who previously held administrative positions before their deployment.
They said the transition to the new education structure should not have erased their qualifications and leadership experience.
The teachers also want the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to facilitate transfers for those who have overstayed in their current stations.
JSS National Spokesperson Bernard Mutuva said deployed teachers had made significant sacrifices to facilitate the transition of learners from primary school to Junior School.
According to Mutuva, some of the teachers deployed to JSS had been serving above grade C3 and occupying administrative positions before deployment, but were forced to relinquish those responsibilities as they moved to the new system.
“Deployment did not erase their qualifications, experience or leadership capacity,” Mutuva said at the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) headquarters in Nairobi after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the union on Saturday.
He called for such teachers to be considered for reinstatement or appointment to appropriate administrative positions under the current education structure.
They said many deployed teachers had also served for long periods in their current stations and were seeking transfers to new areas.
“The Commission should facilitate transfers for deployed Junior School teachers, that is, those who request them,” Mutuva said.
The teachers, who said their views represented more than 10,000 deployed JSS teachers across the country, welcomed the signing of the MoU with KUPPET, saying the union would provide a platform through which their grievances could be presented to TSC.
They further demanded distinct consideration in promotions, arguing that JSS was a separate level within the 3:6:3:3 education structure and should therefore not necessarily compete for promotional opportunities with Senior School teachers.
“We are not against education reforms. We are asking that the teachers who carried out those reforms be recognised and treated fairly,” Mutuva said.
The teachers said they were seeking justice, recognition, career progression and opportunities commensurate with their qualifications, experience and contribution to the education sector.
KUPPET Deputy Secretary General Nthurima Moses affirmed that the JSS teachers are full members of the union, rejecting advances by their sister Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
"Unions are sector-specific. For the avoidance of doubt, JSS teachers belong to post-primary," he said.
