Education Stakeholders Demand Merit-Based Teacher Promotions, Recruitment and Deployment

Education Stakeholders Demand Merit-Based Teacher Promotions, Recruitment and Deployment.

In Kakamega County, a group of parents, teachers, and other education stakeholders have urged the government to give priority to the recruitment, promotion, and deployment of teachers strictly based on merit. They believe that such an approach would promote regional equity in the teacher-to-student ratio and improve the overall quality of education.

The stakeholders called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to adhere strictly to legal procedures during the hiring of new teachers. They voiced concerns about growing political influence affecting the recruitment process.

The National Assembly was thrown into heated debate following the recent promotion of 151,611 teachers. Lawmakers expressed outrage, terming the exercise by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) a scam riddled with favoritism and inconsistencies.

MPs on the Education Committee criticized the TSC for allegedly favoring recently hired teachers while sidelining experienced ones. They also accused the commission of unfairly allocating more promotion slots to some counties at the expense of others. According to them, teachers who scored 80 percent in interviews were promoted over those who scored 100 percent.

Legislators insisted that TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and board chairman Jamleck Muturi had presented falsified documents and demanded a fresh, transparent explanation of the criteria used.

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During a reunion of Kakamega Township alumni, the stakeholders also emphasized the need to transfer oversight of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from Members of Parliament to county governments. According to them, this change would foster greater transparency in the allocation process and allow a broader range of beneficiaries across the country, minimizing favoritism.

The group questioned why MPs continue to hold authority over CDF disbursements, suggesting that counties, under the leadership of governors, are better positioned to ensure fair and accountable management of these public resources.

Education Stakeholders Demand Merit-Based Teacher Promotions, Recruitment and Deployment.

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