Knut opposes 'illegal' promotion of 15,000 teachers

 

The Kenya National Union of Teachers has opposed a plan to promote 15,000 teachers in January 2021.

Knut secretary-general Wilson Sossion on Tuesday said the union's legal team will file a contempt of court case against the Teachers Service Commission for ignoring the schemes of service.

In the schemes of service, teacher promotion was pegged on merit and ability as reflected in the teacher’s work, performance, and results; seniority and experience, the existence of a vacancy; academic and professional qualifications.

In an advert, TSC said only teachers honouring the Career Progression Guidelines will be promoted. 

In a TSC circular dated May 2, 2018, the teachers' employer introduced the career progress guidelines and abolished the traditional schemes of service.

The circular was however quashed by the Labour Court in July 2019. The court said TSC had gone against the agreed promotion guidelines and ordered that they revert to the schemes of service.

The order was to apply to all unionisable teachers.

“Unionisable teachers means all teachers who can join a union thus it means the order applied to all teachers employed by TSC and what it is doing is a blow to the rule of law,” Sossion told the Star.

However, the court ordered that the schemes of service be reviewed to meet the new pay structure.

“This we are ready to do in consultation with the TSC,” Sossion said.

Sossion argued that a change from the traditional promotion guidelines can only be done through Parliament. 

In the promotions, vacancies up for grabs are for deputy principals, senior lecturers, senior masters, curriculum support officers, head teachers and deputy head teachers.