Sources close to the Commission have revealed that the ongoing mass transfer of teachers won’t be as significant as earlier thought.
The sources have revealed that some sub counties will have less than six teachers affected by the transfer and staff balancing exercise which started this month.
This they said is attributed to the severe shortage of teachers experienced in most schools.
TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia had ordered the exercise to transfer and balance staff to start immediately and concluded by 9th May 2022.
In a circular dated 4th April 2022, Macharia the process of staffing of schools will be guided by ‘staffing norms’ to achieve the optimal utilization of teachers and reduce disparities in teacher distribution.
“Despite numerous efforts by the Commission to address teacher shortages across the country, the situation is always compounded by irregular teacher distribution thereby, creating an imbalance that affects delivery of service in the teaching sector. Further, the teacher staffing imbalance continues to limit the initiative toward the equitable distribution of the teaching Resource. If unchecked, this will adversely impact learning outcomes in our learning Institutions,” said Macharia.
However guided by Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) data sources say the teaching workload for teachers in most schools is above the required number.
Macharia had ordered County Directors to work with their County Directors to undertake teacher rationalization with a view to ensure an equitable re-distribution across the schools.
The Commission has suspended the delocalization policy due to outcries from teachers who are vehemently opposed to it claiming it is tearing their families apart.
However she said priority will be given to teachers who have applied for transfer and are eligible for transfer.
She said incase a teacher meets the criteria for transfer the factors to be considered will be; ‘First in, first out factor’ ‘Gender balance where applicable’ and ‘Teacher’s security where applicable‘.
Macharia outlined the following factors to be considered during the exercise.
1. The age of the teacher:
Teachers aged 56 years and above will be exempted from the transfer out of the area of their current work stations.
2. Health status:
Teachers with proven cases of terminal illness will be exempt from transfers out of the current sub county of work.
However, the Committee will evaluate each case on its own merit taking into consideration the supporting Medical documents, the availability and accessibility to the appropriate medical facilities amongst other factors in the proposed station.
3. Teachers with Disabilities;
Teachers with disability with the necessary certification will be exempted from transfers outside their current station sub County.
When transferring teachers, priority shall be given to schools within the sub county within the targeted shortage before transferring out of the sub county.
4. Family considerations:
Transfer couples who are employees of the Commission and have formally declared their marital status in the same neighborhood where possible.
5. Length of stay since first appointment:
The teacher must have served in a station for a period of not less than three (3) years and five (5) years for North Eastern and other areas respectively since first appointment; unless otherwise authorized by the Commission Secretary.
In cases where teachers meet the criteria for transfer, the Commission will consider.
