CBC Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) Retooling Underway Amid Reimbursement Concerns.
The retooling of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) has officially commenced, but with a notably sluggish start across many venues. Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) and Sub-County Directors—who play the key role of training others—expressed frustration over how the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is managing their reimbursement process. They voiced dissatisfaction regarding significant delays in payment, which dampened their usual enthusiasm.
Unlike previous training sessions where high turnout was observed from day one, this session witnessed trainers arriving two to three hours late in several regions, including Western, Nyanza, Central, Rift Valley, and Eastern Kenya.
Logistical issues were also prevalent, with confusion about designated training venues. In one Western Kenya county, master trainers had to travel over 50 kilometers to a school that had hosted the December session, only to be turned away by the principal who was unaware of any scheduled training for April.
According to earlier reports by Teachers Updates, many schools are increasingly reluctant to host TSC-linked training activities. The consistent delay in receiving reimbursements has disrupted their institutional programs, leading them to opt out of hosting such events.
TSC has scaled down the number of Curriculum Support Officers for Special Needs Education (CsoSNE) in this round of retooling, citing a limited number of trainees for April. Consequently, many officers stayed back at their workstations while only a select few participated in the residential regional training.
Though residential in nature, CsoSNE officers have previously raised concerns about the lack of support for transport and accommodation, noting that they are usually reimbursed under the same terms as their regular counterparts.
In a notable policy shift, TSC appears to have taken into account CsoSNE’s longstanding grievances. Based on information obtained by Teachers Updates, the commission has opted to apply the Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (Cemastea) model of reimbursement.
Read Also: Meru County Records Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rate in Kenya
This method includes facilitation for residential training, aiming to uplift the morale of officers who previously traveled beyond their counties without compensation for accommodation and transport.
Teachers Updates has also established that TSC is making a concerted effort to ensure that reimbursements for the April training are processed by May. The delay in payments has reportedly contributed to the commission losing experienced personnel from Cemastea, KICD, KNEC, and the Ministry of Education (MoE), as many professionals have chosen more favorable engagements over TSC’s arrangements.
CBC Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) Retooling Underway Amid Reimbursement Concerns.
Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at [email protected].
Discussion about this post