Mr President, fill vacant positions at TSC

The Standard on Saturday

In a few days hundreds of thousands of pupils that sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations will know their fate.

But as celebrations rock schools and homes where candidates will have excelled, a body whose functions are crucial in spearheading reforms in the education sector has little to rejoice over.

With 2014 just days away, calls have been mounting for President Uhuru Kenyatta to prioritise appointments for vacant positions at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which remains handicapped in the discharge of its duties.

Currently, there are only three commissioners: Saadia Kontoma, Cleophas Tirop and Salome Gichura, of the nine provided for by the Teachers Service Commission Act.

This, for a body mandated to perform several key tasks including managing the teachers’ payroll, maintaining a register of all teachers, disciplining errant teachers and ensuring compliance with teaching standards, is grossly wanting.

That the process of appointing commissioners to the TSC has been fraught with challenges, mostly political and informed by vested interests, is an open secret.

The list of nominees to sit on the body expected to deliver crucial services to the more than 250,000 teachers, has twice been rejected by the legislature.

Parliament, had in the beginning of this year, adopted a report by the Education Committee, which proposed a rejection of the initial list of nominees submitted by former President Kibaki and instead called for fresh interviews.

Also coming in for criticism was the Dr James Kamunge-led selection panel, after it was alleged candidates who had scored impressive results in the interviews had been left out of the list.

Another list submitted to Parliament by President Uhuru Kenyatta had nominated Mr Kiragu wa Magochi as chair to the commission and Albert Ekirapa, Jacinta Kapiyo, William Makubo, James Nkoroi and Mohammed Mwanyipembe as members of the commission.

Dr Lydia Nzomo, the director at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is said to have topped interviews for the position of chair to the TSC, but was left out of the final list under unclear circumstances.

Besides what has been termed a flawed selection process, arguments have also been fronted regarding the background of the nominees, largely from the teaching profession.

It is believed the commission will benefit greatly by having a mix of professionals from different fields including those with a background in financial and legal training.

But away from the political intrigues that have obviously contributed to the delayed appointment of commissioners to the teachers’ body, it is critical to appreciate the import this has on the realisation of reforms in the education sector.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Wilson Sossion is among those who have raised concern over delays in appointing members to the commission, citing a backlog in disciplinary cases against teachers, stretching for a year contrary to the desired six-month period.

His argument is bolstered by the fact that the Teachers Service Commission Act provides for disciplining teachers both in the public and private sector, which means there would be a delay in adjudication of such matters given the current composition of the commission.

Other activities jeorpadised by the delay in appointing members to the TSC include recruitment of Early Childhood Education teachers, policy formulation in the education sector, promotion and transfer of teachers and approval of internal appointments.

Perhaps having a fully functional commission in place will also finally put to rest questions on the exact number of teachers in Kenya given the varying statistics often churned out by the Education Ministry and teachers unions.

As the nation prepares to usher in the New Year, we hope appointment of commissioners to this crucial body in the education sector remains high on the agenda of all concerned parties.