515 principals transferred in fresh TSC changes

Teachers Service Commission chief executive officer Nancy Macharia addresses the Secondary School Head Teachers Conference at Wild Waters in Mombasa on June 22, 2017. TSC has reshuffled school heads in order to promote integration. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The process to move school heads working in their home counties started last year.

  • The principals now join another 346 who were transferred in January in a move that attracted protest from teachers unions.

  • In the latest transfers, four national school principals and 33 heads of extra county schools have been transferred.

  • The county directors have until April 30 to submit status report on handing and taking over exercise to TSC.

More than 500 principals have been transferred by their employer in the latest move to delocalise management of public secondary schools across the country.

The 515 principals of county, extra county, national and tertiary institutions have until Friday to hand over before schools re-open on Monday.

The process to move school heads working in their home counties started last year. The delocalisation policy seeks to improve cohesion and deepen appreciation of the country’s diverse cultures.

The principals now join another 346 who were transferred in January in a move that attracted protest from teachers unions.

EXTRA COUNTY SCHOOLS

In the latest transfers, four national school principals and 33 heads of extra county schools have been transferred.

The TSC also moved 197 principals of county boys schools and 169 in county girls schools.

At sub-county schools, 108 heads and four heads of tertiary institutions have been transferred.

“Handing and taking over exercise will be concluded latest Friday April 27,” said Mr Abdirizak Farah, a senior deputy director, in a memo dated April 23 to all TSC county directors.

The county directors have until April 30 to submit status report on handing and taking over exercise to TSC.

APPRAISAL

Delocalisation and teacher appraisal was part of the CBA that TSC signed with Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers in 2016 and was subsequently registered at the Employment and Labour Relations Court. 

There are currently 8,542 principals in the country.

At the same time, the Teachers Service Commission has dropped nine principals over poor performance in national examinations and incriminating assessment reports.

TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia early this year warned that head teachers whose schools consistently post poor exam results and teachers whose subjects trail in performance in the national tests would be sacked.