A Kenya legislator has appealed to the National Assembly to adopt a motion that will halt the delocalization of teachers and initiate a comprehensive review of the country’s teacher deployment policy.
Titus Khamala has expressed concern over the continued delocalization of teachers, which the Teachers Service Commission initiated in 2018. In his submission to the House, the Member of Parliament stated that the delocalization had immensely disrupted teachers’ lives, lowered teacher morale, negatively affected teacher and student performance, and caused untold trauma to many teachers countrywide.
“This exercise is not supported by a clear policy framework, and it was initiated without the participation of teachers or their unions, contrary to Articles 118 and 132 of the Constitution on public participation and involvement of the people in the process of policymaking; cognizant of the fact that delocalization of teachers is inconsistent with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) teacher deployment practice, which treats education as a culture process conducted within a people’s cultural context at the local level,” said the Lurambi MP.
Khamala acknowledged that the lack of a clear policy framework guiding the recruitment, promotion, and compulsory transfer of teachers has resulted in numerous complaints and petitions by teachers.
The House further acknowledged that there is a significant teacher shortage at the Primary and Secondary levels in various counties resulting in severe learning gaps. Members of Parliament during the debate recognized the need for Stakeholders in the Education sector to work together to address the shortages and unclear recruitment and transfer procedures.
While seconding the motion, MP Wilberforce Oundo Mudenyo appreciated the invaluable role teachers play in actualizing the national goals of education, noting that a conducive working environment for teachers enhances performance. He further reminded the House that the compulsory delocalization of teachers commenced in 2018 by the Teachers Service Commission largely interfered with teachers’ work and family environment and negatively affected teacher morale.
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