More sub county directors of education reshuffled
The Ministry of Education is reshuffling its sub-county directors as it prepares to take over from TSC.
A number of sub county directors have been reshuffled so far in several sub counties.
A number of TSC roles will be taken by the Ministry of Education as from next year.
The new changes are captured in the report by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
President ordered immediate implementation of the recommendations of the education taskforce that was led by Professor Raphael Munavu.
The changes include the following responsibilities of TSC being taken over by the ministry of education :
1. Regulator of the Education sector
Currently, the Commission is the employer and at the same time acts as a regulator in the education sector.
The Taskforce has now recommended the establishment of a different regulatory body known as the Kenya Professional Teaching Standards (KePTS).
2. Quality assurance
The Taskforce observed that there was a duplicate of the quality assurance function between the TSC and the Ministry of Education.
It has proposed that TSC regulations be amended to cure the duplication and that the role be solely handled by the Ministry.
Also all TSC employees falling under the quality assurance department like Curriculum Support Officers (CSO) will be moved to the Ministry.
3. Accountability of heads
The school heads are at the moment answerable to the Commission but in the new changes, it has been proposed that TSC will only be tasked with employing and deploying.
The heads will be the agents of the Ministry in the management of the institutions thus accountable to it as accounting and authorized officers.
4. CBC and other teacher training
Under the current system, the Commission is responsible for the retraining of teachers for competency-based curriculum (CBC).
However, it has been proposed that the Ministry will take over the role including paying of teachers allowances.
5. Teacher Transfers
While the Commission has been making decisions on the transfers of teachers, the taskforce has suggested that transfers be done jointly with the Ministry of Education.
TSC to ask permission from ministry before transferring a teacher.
The Ministry will sit on the committees that are deploying, and transferring head teachers and principals.
6. Teacher Disciplinary cases
TSC will no longer handle disciplinary matters and appeals on decisions as it is currently, instead, this will be the mandate of an Education appeals tribunal.
This means any member aggrieved by the decision of the TSC shall appeal to the Tribunal
7. Teacher Promotions
Article 237 (2) (c) and (d) of the Constitution mandates TSC to promote teachers. The Taskforce noted however that this has been done without the involvement of the Ministry thus a recommendation that TSC consult the Ministry in the changes.
8. Health insurance cover
It has been proposed that moving forward, a review of the teachers’ health insurance scheme be done.
This will be done between the TSC and the Ministry.
9. Management of Information
Section 42 (5) of the TSC Act provides that the right of access to information under Article 35 of the Constitution states will be limited to the nature and extent specified under that Section.
It has been proposed that Section 42 (5) be deleted.
The Commission will also be registered by the data commissioner as a data controller subject to the Data Protection Act.
10. Conduct of the affairs of the Commission
The quorum of a meeting of the commission as it is now is such that it is one-half of the members.
The new report states that a quorum shall be two-thirds of the members.
More sub county directors of education reshuffled
