TSC, unions to discuss promotions

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Wilson Sossion addresses a press briefing at the union's head office in Nairobi on April 26, 2018. The union wants to discuss about the promotion of its members. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Knut alleged that teachers were not being promoted despite having attained higher academic qualifications.
  • Mrs Macharia last month assured teachers that the commission recognises higher qualifications in the profession.

More than 30,000 teachers who have attained higher academic qualifications since 2014 will be waiting with bated breath as their employer and union leaders meet to discuss their promotions.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has invited the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) for deliberations on the issue on Wednesday.

“The commission proposes the following agenda for the day: preliminaries and higher qualifications attained by teachers,” the letter to the union by TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia reads.

The meeting is expected to end the row between the union and the commission over the promotion of teachers who have attained higher academic qualifications.

KNUT MEETING
Mrs Macharia last month assured teachers that the commission recognises higher qualifications in the profession.

“Acquisition of knowledge and skills should be a lifetime endeavour to enable teachers to operate with a dynamic professional context.

"The 2017-2021 CBA cycle has developed career progression guidelines, which recognise various qualifications, depending on the particular positions,” Mrs Macharia said.

Knut last month took the dispute to the Labour ministry, alleging that teachers were not being promoted despite having attained higher academic qualifications.

Today, the National Executive Council (NEC) and National Advisory Council (NAC) will meet in Nairobi to discuss the issue of promotions ahead of the Wednesday meeting.

“We want to have the input of NEC and NAC so that when we meet TSC, we are fully prepared,” Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion told the Nation yesterday.

NOMINATION
The meeting will also deliberate on the transfers of 515 secondary school principals.

But there might be a face-off between Mr Sossion and TSC after its sacked him as a teacher following his nomination to the National Assembly by ODM.

There are fears that Knut might not be given an audience if he is present.

But Mr Sossion said, “I will lead the delegation to TSC”.