This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
Published on October 4, 2019, by Benjamin Sogomo, this article explores the impact of the TSC's changes on teacher welfare.
Clifford Geertz's famous quote, 'man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun,' aptly describes the complex relationships between teachers, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the government of Kenya.
The TSC is the single-largest employer in Kenya, with a vast network of policies, programs, and procedures governing its activities. Registration and dismissal of teachers are two critical processes that have undergone significant changes over the years.
Before being hired, teachers must be registered by the TSC. The TSC Act, Cap 212 (1968), provided a detailed procedure for registration and appeals. However, the Act was repealed in 2012, and the new law does not provide for an Appeals Tribunal.
Teachers can be removed from the register after a lengthy disciplinary process. The process involves an investigating officer, a discipline officer, and a panel of commissioners. If the judgment is to dismiss and remove the teacher from the register, the teacher can appeal to the TSC.
The absence of an independent Appeals Tribunal has raised concerns about the erosion of teacher welfare. The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) presented a memorandum to the Building Bridges Initiative in August, stating that the management of teaching and learning needs to be in safe, trusted, and secure hands at all times.
