This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 16, 2020, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to review the staffing norms in Kenyan schools in light of the changing dynamics in the education sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion challenged TSC boss Nancy Macharia to make adjustments in staff in both primary and secondary schools, teachers training colleges, and professional development officers before the schools reopen.
Kenyan schools were closed in March after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the country.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Education to issue a new calendar by mid-August, allowing for a September reopening under COVID-19 protocols.
According to Sossion, the existing staff norm of one teacher per class of 50 children plus 2.5 of the number of classes in a Sub-County is inconsistent with the COVID-19 reality of social distancing protocols and related mitigation measures.
He emphasized that the current teaching load per teacher of 27 lessons per week would need to change depending on the availability of teachers in each school and how classrooms would be configured in the wake of the COVID-19 situation.
For teacher training colleges and teacher professional development officers, Sossion noted that similar adjustments would be necessary to ensure they align with Ministry of Health protocols on preventing the spread of the virus.
He further tasked the teachers' employer to ensure that teachers undergo an induction program on COVID-19 before the schools reopen.
