Appraisals are good for teachers and pupils

The level of mistrust between the Teachers Service Commission and Teachers unions; the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Union (Kuppet) threatens to keep the education sector in a permanent state of uncertainty.

It has become fashionable for Knut and Kuppet to call strikes at the beginning of every school term in the last few years to the detriment of students and pupils. The decline in standards is then blamed on the government. While the government has its fair share of failings, especially in procrastinating where it should have acted with speed and honesty to avert a crisis, teachers are not entirely without blame.

Refusal by teachers to subject themselves to the control of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in the determination of their salaries, like other civil servants, is the cause of constant friction. On the other hand, teachers have in the past, and even now, adamantly stated that they will not subject themselves to performance appraisals as demanded by their employer, the TSC.

Yet on this one, the Teachers Service Commission has the law on its side and the sooner the teachers agree to abide by the law, the better for all parties. The impasse between the government, TSC and teachers following last year's court award of between 50 and 60 per cent pay rise should be reason to shun grandstanding.

It is the view of this newspaper that appraisals, a key component of employment nowadays, is good for the country's education. When carried openly and transparently, appraisals do not only act as motivators; they open opportunities for advancement based on performance; they make it possible to measure learning outcomes by identifying existing gaps. The identification of these gaps will then make it easy to provide support for professional development.

Teachers' unions should therefore encourage their members to present themselves for appraisal. It is important that the exercise is conducted smoothly to avoid hurting innocent learners through strikes.