Siaya County Governor James Orengo has said that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should be run and managed by teachers.
Orengo who on Saturday, July 20, 2024, attended the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Nyasanda Primary School in Ugunja Constituency, argues that the teachers commission has failed to represent the interests of the teachers.
Orengo on TSC leadership
Orengo says it is his hope and prayer that the Kenyan teachers will one day take over the leadership of the commission.
“This morning I attended the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) AGM at Nyasanda Primary School in Ugunja Constituency.
“I hope and pray that a day will come when we will have a Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) that is run and managed by teachers. We cannot continue having a commission that doesn’t represent the interests of our teachers,” Orengo said in a statement shared via his official X account.
This morning I attended the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) AGM at Nyasanda Primary School in Ugunja Constituency. I hope and pray that a day will come when we will have a Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) that is run and managed by teachers. We cannot continue having a… pic.twitter.com/cJG7IzeNoZ
— James Orengo (@orengo_james) July 20, 2024
Teachers woes
Over the recent past, reports emerged that most teachers were quitting the TSC for more lucrative positions in first-world countries.
One of the teachers, in an interview with one of the local TV stations on June 30, 2024, indicated that the salaries offered abroad were in six figures and more lucrative than their earnings locally.
The teacher also lamented that the changing terms of promotion and poor infrastructure were driving tutors out of the teaching industry.
Reports indicated that the teachers prefer jobs in the United States and the United Kingdom which are currently experiencing a shortage north of 400,000.
JSS teachers
Just recently, the government’s plan to hire 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) interns on a permanent and pensionable basis flopped after Kenyans rejected controversial Finance Bill, 2024.
The 46,000 intern teachers will now wait longer to join the government payroll in new changes the TSC has employed to respond to the budget trims.
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia also told MPs on Wednesday, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, the teachers will have to wait longer as honouring the collective bargain agreement is untenable.
The second phase of 2021-25 amended CBA was to be implemented by end of this month. This was according to a deal inked between the commission and the teachers’ unions.
The first phase started from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Teachers were to get improved house allowances, especially for those in cluster four. They were also to benefit from increased earnings to cushion them from the rising cost of living.