Transfers: 3,000 heads have less than 48 hours to move out

KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion. [Elvis Ogina/Standard]

The 3,094 primary and secondary school heads transferred by their employer have only one day to report to their new stations even as a union protested the move.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia instructed county directors to ensure handing over and taking over is completed by close of business tomorrow.

This means that the heads have less than 48 hours to complete the transfer process.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has, however, instructed the heads not to hand over their stations or take over new offices until concerns raised by the union are addressed.

Knut has listed teachers’ promotions, delocalisation, teacher professional development modules and performance contracting tools as points of disagreement with employer.

Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said any attempt to effect the transfers will firm the unions resolve to rally its members to a nationwide strike.

The hard line stance sets stage for a showdown between TSC and Knut. The union has already issued a strike notice that ends next week when schools open for first term.

In a detailed circular dated December 19, Mrs Macharia say the TSC county directors will be held personally responsible for overseeing a smooth hand over by outgoing principals/head teachers to their incoming counterparts.

The circular is copied to Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang.

And as the process of assuming new offices by heads takes effect, TSC and Ministry of Education have jointly developed guidelines of handover notes that must be complied with.

TSC wants heads to hand over appraisal documents, schemes of work for handing over principal and all the teachers on duty, records of work ?and lesson observation schedules.

All heads are required to hand over files containing updated details of the three school bank accounts – Simba Account, General Purpose Account and the Boarding and PTA accounts.

Bank statements with pay-in slips and reconciliation details must also be attached.

Payment voucher files and local purchase order book details must also be part of the handing over notes seen by The Standard.

And on receipt books, the government wants the school heads to list used numbers clearly detailing when they were used.