Empty threats? TSC vow to render jobless striking teachers

Nancy Macharia

The Teachers Service Commission is preparing to send home employees who will take part in the strike their union has called, starting Thursday, when schools reopen for the first term.

At the same time, the Kenya National Union of Teachers has declared the strike will go on unless TSC rescinds its decision on mass transfer of headteachers.

TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia asked the commission’s head of quality assurance, Dr Mugwuku Nthamburi, to prepare details of the estimated 290,000 trained and registered teachers, but who are unemployed, who would be recruited to replace those who go on strike. This is intended to dilute the strike and ensure learning is not disrupted.

Tsc secretary Nancy Macharia and Kpsha National chairman-Shem Gondi at Isebania in August2018

She directed Dr Nthamburi to “ensure the teachers can be contacted on short notice through the bulk SMS facility for assignment of duty”.

While the letter does not expressly state that the TSC will hire new teachers to replace those who will boycott work, it sends a warning to Knut — which has ruled out any conciliation talks — that schools will open on Thursday as scheduled and that mitigation measures are in place to guard against disruptions.

Knut — which has a membership of about 180,000 — yesterday wrote to its branch officials throughout the country asking them to ensure no teacher reports to work on Thursday.

Secretary-General Wilson Sossion’s letter to Knut’s executive secretaries read in part: “…bring to the attention of every member that the strike action commences exactly on the opening date of the new term. No teacher should report for the new school term until the strike is called off formally by the secretary-general.”

Knut has been campaigning for the promotion of all teachers who have attained higher education qualifications, a review of the new performance contracting system and the stoppage of mass transfers of headteachers and their deputies in a new policy introduced to delocalise the management of schools.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *