The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) wants the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to use the highest academic credentials while recruiting teachers instead of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results.
Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu says TSC should use the highest grade an aspiring employee attained instead of Form Four results. To be recruited as a Diploma teacher, one must attain a C plain in KCSE.
However, Mr Oyuu says people with a D in KCSE and with a master’s degree should be employed using their highest academic credentials.
“Do you know that some of our university lecturers got D+ (plus) grades and furthered their education until they became graduate lecturers? Surely TSC, why are you stopping our teachers who have C plain grade, went and graduated with a Degree from teaching Grades 7, 8 and 9?” Mr Oyuu asked.
Mr Oyuu said TSC has acknowledged that there is a shortage in the Basic Education sector yet still questions the academic qualification.
“A teacher who has decided to advance his or her qualification does not sleep, it’s about studying and teaching learners. On this matter, we must talk further with TSC,” he added.
The union leader cited his professor, who taught religious education and Kiswahili in the university but had attained a grade of C- in secondary school before seeking further studies.
“He went to Uganda’s Kampala International University, came back to Kenyatta University and also added online learning with a university in the US. He’s now a professor. What do you look into? It should be the last qualification of an individual and not KCSE grade,” said the Secretary General.
He said the employer does not know what the individual seeking a job opportunity in TSC went through while in secondary school to get the ‘lower’ mark.
However, he said if the circumstances were different and the teacher was taken to a top national school he would have scored an A grade. He urged TSC to look at the competency of the teacher and the last qualification.
“Yet the recommended ratio of a teacher to a learner is 1 to 45 as per UNESCO, so we need more teachers. We are appealing to the Head of State Dr William Ruto to bridge the gap,” said Mr Oyuu.
Meanwhile, Mr Oyuu urged Junior Secondary teachers to work in harmony with their colleagues in the staffroom.
“We are telling our young men and women teaching in JS which is domiciled in primary schools a teacher is a teacher. Do not think that another teacher is inferior to the other,” he said.
Mr Oyuu told the teachers to have proper relationships with the Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association.
“These are the teachers manning early childhood, primary, and JS. We propose that the head teacher who has been manning Class One up to Eight the new Competency-Based Education has brought him to man Junior School and primary which is comprehensive schools,” he said.
He added the heads of institutions should be remunerated differently from the salary that was there before because of the work which is now different.
“Please work well with our head teachers, they manage both teachers and finances. TSC should talk to our teachers and the heads of our school's management. When you have inductions invite Knut,” said Mr Oyuu.
