Government and Policy

List Of Powerful Roles TSC Is Set To Lose In New Proposal

BY Getrude Mathayo · July 14, 2023 11:07 am

The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, is set to lose seven powerful roles to the Ministry of Education if the proposals are implemented, the sector reforms with the Ministry of Education set to chip away its sole powers.

The government formed the working party to suggest ways of reforming the education sector after parents and other stakeholders complained about the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

According to The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), the Ministry of Education takes over key functions currently exclusively performed by TSC. The ministry will have a say in the transfer and promotion of teachers, a role that is at the core of the TSC mandate.

TSC was exclusively in charge of teacher transfer, promotions, and even discipline, but the task force wants such roles shared with the parent ministry.

The proposal, it has emerged, was informed by the fact that while the ministry releases billions of shillings to schools, it has no influence over the fund managers who report directly to TSC.

The school heads are designated TSC agents in learning institutions yet they superintend over the use of funds from the ministry as managers. If the draft proposals by PWPER are adopted in the final report, then TSC would lose a significant human resource mandate.

Teachers transfer

According to the draft report by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, the TSC is set to lose its exclusive mandate on the transfer and promotion of teachers. The task force now wants the Ministry of Education to have a say in the transfer and promotion of teachers.

TSC enjoys an exclusive mandate to retrain tutors, asserting influence on over 300,000 teachers across the country

Head teachers’ accountability

The proposal makes headteachers answerable to the ministry, a departure from the current practice where they are accountable to TSC. Under the proposals, school heads will be agents of the Ministry of Education as accountable and authorized officers.

‘Where there has been a case of mismanagement of funds or resources by a headteacher or principal, the Ministry of Education cannot hold the headteacher to account nor is he/she involved in their discipline,” the draft report reads in part.

Career progression

Under the proposals, the ministry will take over the career progression and professional development programs. The ministry will establish the Kenya School of Teacher Management (KeSTEM) as a corporate body to coordinate and regulate all in-service programs for teachers.

TSC disciplinary role

In the proposals, TSC may also lose its exclusive powers to oversee disciplinary matter touching on teachers as that will be handled by an independent tribunal.

Aggrieved teachers, who have been processed by TSC over disciplinary cases, will have an opportunity for review at the ministry’s Education Appeals Tribunal. The task force has concluded that TSC does not have the capacity to supervise financial management at schools and wants the ministry to take over the function.

”Where there has been a case of mismanagement of funds or resources by a headteacher or principal, the Ministry of Education cannot hold the headteacher to account nor is he/she involved in their discipline,” the draft report reads in part.

Quality assurance mandate

The Quality Assurance role currently being played by TSC will also be taken over by the ministry. The working party wants the ministry to be given the power to close institutions that fail to abide by the guidelines and policies

TSC will lose the quality assurance mandate to the ministry with the taskforce recommending that the ministry’s team have powers to close institutions that contravene guidelines and policies.

Teachers’ records

The PWPER also proposes that TSC be clipped of its sole mandate of keeping teachers’ records with the office of the data commissioner set to be incorporated. In the far-reaching proposals, TSC will also share its procurement powers with the ministry, especially on the teachers’ medical scheme.

TSC procurement role

The education reform team wants part of TSC procurement powers shared by the ministry. For instance, the task force has recommended that TSC and the parent ministry should collectively do the procurement for the teacher’s medical scheme.