This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
Published on July 19, 2019
Thousands of Kenyan teachers may face demotion after a court suspended the implementation of new career progression guidelines. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has warned that promotions will be suspended until after July 2020.
The TSC made the announcement on Thursday, July 18, after it returned to court seeking to have the orders stopping the implementation of the guidelines halted. The commission argued that suspending the performance management tools is an affront to public interest, as it makes teachers unaccountable to anyone.
TSC boss Nancy Macharia said the commission is 'aggrieved by the judgment and is reasonably apprehensive that unless orders of stay of execution are immediately granted, the applicant shall be completely paralysed in executing its mandate under the Constitution.'
The commission also faulted the judge for suspending the Teachers Training Development Programme module, saying it should be implemented in line with the TSC Act. TSC argued that the suspension will affect the roll-out of the programme, lead to financial losses, and is a breach of contract.
Kenya Post-Primary Education teachers union (Kuppet) has also joined the case, seeking to protect the gains under the 2016 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Kuppet acting secretary-general Moses Nthurima said the union's main goal is to protect the gains under the CBA, which had been put at risk by the judgment.
