TSC to hire heads of national schools

The Teachers Service Commission has begun the search for principals of teachers’ training colleges, as well as those for national and extra county secondary schools.

The hiring will be competitive as the Teachers Service Commission is seeking individuals who will improve performance at the institutions.

TSC chief executive officer Nancy Macharia said those who wish to be principals in national and extra county schools should be currently serving as head teachers in secondary schools.

“Result-oriented, with a proven track record of good performance in national examinations in the last three years,” Mrs Macharia said of the candidates.

REQUIREMENTS
The information was contained in an advert in the dailies.

Those who want to be principals of teachers’ colleges must be serving principals or deputy principals in tertiary institutions.

An applicant must be in Job Group P and above and should have served continuously as an institution administrator for not less than 10 years.

One should “be a holder of a master’s degree in a relevant area from a university recognised in Kenya”, Mrs Macharia said, adding that the candidates have until October 17 to submit their applications.

PERFORMANCE
Of those who will be recruited, 15 principals will serve in national and extra county schools, while three will serve in colleges.

The hiring of heads of national schools and tertiary institutions is part of a strategy by the commission to improve performance.

The positions have previously been filled through direct appointment, raising concern over possible abuse of the system.

The government has also started a programme that will see new principals posted outside their home areas.

FREE EDUCATION
The recruitment will also set the stage for the rollout of the free day secondary education starting January.

The government has set aside Sh25 billion for the programme.

The money will be for infrastructure development to ensure 100 percent transition from primary to secondary school.

At the same time, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has appealed to the TSC to devolve the promotion of teachers.

PROMOTION

Kuppet chairman Omboko Milemba said some teachers in secondary schools had not been promoted and would therefore not get good send-off packages when they retire.

“The TSC needs to decentralise promotion of teachers to the county level, the same way it transferred the mandate relating to disciplinary matters so that each region gets its lawful share,” Mr Milemba said.

He made the remarks in Kakamega County during Kuppet’s branch annual general meeting.

The forum was held in Khwisero Sub-County.