The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has agreed to develop new job descriptions that will see classroom teachers benefit in the 2021-2025 new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The Commission and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) kicked off their new CBA negotiations last month where they held a five-day retreat in Naivasha.

During the meeting, the teacher’s employer agreed to ensure the new descriptions under the new CBA capture the true worth of classroom teachers.TSC has confirmed that as discussed during last month’s meeting, the true worth of a teacher must be captured and this can best be done through new job descriptions.

“The new job descriptions recognise the teachers’ leadership and technical work within and outside the classroom, which had been ignored by the evaluation tool previously used by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC),” read a press statement by Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori.

That was the second meeting KUPPET held with the teacher’s employer over the new CBC which is scheduled to be implemented from July 1, after the October 19^TH meeting.

KUPPET called on the SRC to give its advisory to the TSC to enable the employer to table a counter offer to the union.

Job evaluation

In February, SRC wrote to the TSC requesting for more time to allow the union finalize job evaluation salary structures for public servants.

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“We are seriously concerned by this delay by SRC, since the expiry of the current CBA on 30 June is imminent,” said Misori.

Misori said during the retreat that they have agreed with the TSC that the new CBA will factor that classroom teachers have up to 30 new roles of including, class management and substantial financial responsibility during outdoor activities like tours and sports among others.

Teachers have been complaining that the current 2017-2021 CBA favored teachers in administrative position leaving thousands of classroom teachers with low salaries and this will translate to increased renumeration.

Teacher Promotions

During the meeting TSC and Kuppet agree on promotion of teachers in job groups C3, C4 and Teacher Training college tutors to new job groups.

“The Job Re-Evaluation has resulted in the creation of a new opening in C4 for Senior Master IV and Senior Lecturer IV for those in TTCs who do not have administrative positions,” said Misori.

Misori said under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), the TTC tutors will be training teachers at the Diploma level, hence the repositioning of their roles.

Administrators in TTCs including Deans and Registrars will have a clear career path with substantive appointments.

Maternity leave for interns

The commission has agreed that, except for specific provisions of their contracts, all intern teachers will work under the same conditions as provided under the Code of Regulations for Teachers.

The intern teachers qualify for maternity leave of 90 calendar days with effect from the expected date of delivery, as it happens other teachers.

TSC also agreed to suspend the requirement of a Master’s degree for Principals or other promotions within the teaching service.

“This is in line with regulations by the Public Service Commission which has scrapped the requirement of a Master’s degree for promotions at job group P and above. Post-graduate qualifications will be considered as an added advantage,” said Misori.

Allowance for Masters and PHD Holders

During the meeting, Kuppet demanded the introduction of a Post-Graduate Allowance for teachers who possess Master’s and PhD degrees irrespective of their position in service.The union and the commission clarified the career path for Diploma Teachers.

Teacher shortage

To address the shortage of teachers ahead of the roll out of junior secondary, TSC said it will promote 1,000 graduate teachers who initially had P1 qualifications to secondary schools every financial year.

By June 30, it shall have redeployed 2,000 of such teachers, and the redeployment will continue until the numbers are fully addressed.

The teachers must have obtained a KCSE mean grade of C+ and C+ in two teaching subjects.

AON Minet

TSC and Kuppet agreed to hold an interparty meeting with the teacher’s medical scheme provide Minet to address the challenges teachers are facing while using the scheme.

Both TSC and Kuppet identified the numerous problems teachers face in accessing health services under the Medical Scheme.

Mass Covid-19 vaccination for teachers starts today across the country.This as reports indicate that distribution of the examination papers starts this week to the 479 containers that will be used to store the same.

Selection and training of invigilators and holding of county sensitization meetings are all scheduled to end this week.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said 227,679 teachers have been vetted and approved to administer examinations as supervisors and invigilators.

Click here to Get a facility for vaccination

It was, however, not clear whether all the teachers who will take part in the administration of the national examinations will have been vaccinated by end of this week.

Macharia said last week that a meeting was scheduled with ministry task force for vaccine deployment to negotiate further details.

“We are also hopeful that all the teachers who will be invigilating and supervising examinations will have been vaccinated ahead of the start of the tests,” said Macharia.

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What is, however, certain is that all the 15,000 teachers who fall between the age bracket of 58 years and above will get the injection starting today across the country.

Willis Akhwale, the chairman of the Covid-19 task force for vaccine deployment, said the vaccination will target teachers who are 50 years and above.

“We have limited stocks of the vaccine. Hence we prioritise groups. We are targeting those most at risk with the aim of saving lives. And teachers fall in this category of most at risk,” said Akhwale.

Macharia said identification of teachers who fall within the bracket has started. “We had planned for the 58 years and above so our field officers will identify these teachers for the exercise,” she said.

It is not clear whether teachers who do not fall within then said age bracket but have underlying conditions will get the jab.

Speaking last week during the launch of the vaccination exercise for teachers, Akhwale said: “We are expecting to receive another batch of about one million vaccines and these teachers will be considered at that time.”

Teachers have been requested to present themselves to the designated 575 centres for vaccination.

These include private, public and mission hospitals. Teachers will need to identify themselves at the facilities.

“Teachers will be vaccinated on identification. A system is being created to allow for pre-registration, which means they can select the post and date for vaccination,” said Akhwale.

The Ministry of Health identified teachers as among the frontline workers to get vaccination during the first phase of the exercise.

Macharia thanked President Uhuru Kenyatta for recognising teachers as frontline workers.

“This was the right decision to protect 330,671 teachers working in public schools and 158,000 in private schools,” she said.

TSC is allegedly planning massive transfers and delocalisation of school heads, a move which will brew a fresh row between TSC and KNUT.

TSC has directed its regional staff to collect and forward data of school heads who have stayed in one station for more than nine years, a directive that has sent Panic to over 30,000 heads of public schools.

In a memo to all Regional Directors, TSC also wants details of primary school head teachers and principals of secondary schools who have exited the teaching service.

The employer has also requested data of school heads who are presently working from home due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. These fresh demands by TSC signal a major shake-up of public schools’ management.

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TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia had asked teachers who are 50 years and above and those with underlying conditions to work from home to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The TSC memo dated February 26^TH advised that principals aged 55 and below should be considered for transfers and get replaced by the newly appointed principals under job group D3.

County Schools are headed by principals falling under Grade D3. There are about 1, 031 county schools with about 145,000 learners.

Principals of sub-county schools fall under grade D2. There are about 7,000 sub-county schools with about 650,000 students.

Principals of extra county schools fall under grade D4. There are about 531 sub-county schools with approximately 130, 000 students.

The document to be filled by regional directors had a format for data presentation before they are sent to the Commission. Under the secondary schools’ matrix, regional directors are required to capture the home county of the principals complete with details of their current station. These details must include the size of the school, the sponsor of the institution, and the category of the school and enrolment data.

The mean score registered by the schools for the last three years between 2017 and 2019 must also be captured as well as the institution’s host county. The principal’s present designation, job group, and gender must also be captured.

For primary schools, TSC wants the age of the head teacher captured. The teacher’s home county, designation, current station, and the host county of the school details are also required.