Hire 50,000 more teachers: KUPPET Urges TSC
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has written to the teachers’ service commission, TSC, urging the latter to hire 50,000 more teachers to avert crisis. KUPPET reasons that majority of teachers are almost retiring and those above 55 years could be let off since they are in the age group that is susceptible to Covid-19. Furthermore, younger teachers with preexisting conditions are also currently at home. This comes at a time when the number of teachers succumbing to covid-19 is seriously on the rise, yet replacement is not immediate.
KUPPET has found out that TSC has 25,000 teachers aged 58 years and above and should retire from June 2021.
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“Half of the 25,000 teachers who are aged 58 years and above are remaining with a year or less in the service,” said KUPPET Secretary General, Akelo Misori.
Additionally, within the next three years, an extra 50,000 teachers will have retired. As per the projection by KUPPET, TSC may lose 4,000 more teachers through deaths, natural attritions and resignations.
“For this reason, KUPPET has written to the Teachers Service Commission and relevant government departments calling for urgent plans to increase the number of teachers and take other measures to maintain education services at the current levels,” Misori said.
KUPPET also wants TSC to hire at least 15,000 annually between 2021 and 2026.
“This is before taking to account new demands for teachers to mitigate Covid-19 in schools,” said Misori.
Misori argued that the 12,000 teachers being hired ahead of January 2021 are far much lower than what is expected to maintain the workforce at current levels.
KUPPET urged TSC to issue a circular guiding the implementation of working from home.
“At the moment, head teachers, principals and TSC County Directors have no direction on how to implement the directive, as a result, many teachers who deserve the leave of absence have been denied permission to stay away from schools,” Misori said.
KUPPET has also requested TSC to allow teachers above 55 years who wish to retire from service to go ahead and retire.
Finally, Misori asked TSC to institute a workable succession plan for school heads aged 55 years and above.
