MPs reject TSC’s teacher promotion list, citing bias, inequity and lack of transparency

Members of the National Assembly's Education Committee have unanimously rejected the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) list of 25,252 teachers promoted earlier this year, accusing the commission of unfair practices and disregarding principles of equity.

The rejection came after the committee held a tense meeting with TSC officials, including Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia and Chairperson Jamleck Muturi.

The MPs argued that the promotions, which had been celebrated by some, were skewed and unfair, with certain counties benefiting disproportionately from the advancements.

At the heart of the legislators' grievances was the perceived imbalance in the number of teachers promoted across counties, with some regions, despite having fewer teachers, receiving higher numbers of promotions.

"Equity is lacking in this entire document, and we can't proceed like this. You had a duty, we gave you money, and what you have done is a disservice to this country and the teachers,” said Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who chairs the committee.

The MPs are now demanding that TSC provide additional documentation to substantiate the promotion process.

The committee has requested a list of all teachers who applied for promotion in each sub-county, the marks scored by each teacher during interviews, and a breakdown of how many teachers in each sub-county have served for over three years.

"We cannot allow this commission to promote a person every year, promote teachers of an entire county leaving out the rest of the country," Melly said, stressing that the promotions should reflect fairness and transparency.

The issue has caused significant concern across the country, especially as the committee found that teachers with less experience, some having served for only one year, were promoted over those with decades of service.

Luanda MP Dick Maungu expressed his dissatisfaction, calling the situation "an injustice to teachers and the teaching profession."

He pointed out that teachers who had been promoted last year were once again promoted this year, raising questions about the validity and fairness of the process.

Several MPs, including Baringo North's Joseph Makilap, voiced their frustrations with the lack of equity and fairness in the promotion criteria.

"How was the principle of affirmative action applied in this promotion? We need to see the raw data from sub-county and county levels so that we see why people who scored 100 per cent during interviews were not promoted,” he said.

Scandalous

Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu went as far as labelling the promotions as "the most scandalous ever in the teaching profession."

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• MPs reject TSC’s teacher promotion list
• citing bias

He argued that the promotion process failed to meet the standards of fairness and transparency.

Moiben MP Phylis Bartoo also joined the chorus of discontent, calling the entire promotion process biased.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have both condemned the list, claiming it did not account for disparities in teacher populations across the country. The unions argue that teachers from densely populated regions were unfairly disadvantaged.

In defence of the promotions, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia explained that the commission followed the guidelines set out in Article 56 of the Constitution.

She insisted that the promotions adhered to the necessary procedures and criteria. However, despite her defence, the committee was unsatisfied and has demanded that the commission provide the requested documents for further scrutiny.

The controversy surrounding the promotions stems from the TSC’s request for Sh2 billion to fund the same, but the National Treasury allocated only Sh1 billion. This funding shortfall further complicated the promotion process and likely contributed to the perceived inequalities.

TSC had advertised the vacancies at the end of last year and conducted interviews earlier this year. The published list included 5,690 teachers who applied for promotions in response to advertisements in November and 19,943 others who applied for vacancies in December.