TSC Requests Parliamentary Protection from Education Reforms
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has called on the National Assembly to intervene and resolve issues raised by a taskforce on the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The TSC claims that these suggestions may violate its constitutional responsibility.
TSC’s Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Macharia, presented her case to the Parliamentary Committee on Education. She stated that the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) plans would jeopardize the TSC’s primary functions and authority.
Despite giving a full memorandum and working with the Working Party, the TSC believes its opinion on essential teaching service issues was not adequately considered.
Macharia noted that the TSC’s Board had reviewed the suggestions in the report and identified areas that could have an influence on the TSC’s constitutional mandate. The Commission was deliberately excluded from institutional inspections and the list of entities that submitted memoranda, according to the TSC.
The TSC’s main fear is that certain taskforce amendments, such as giving the Ministry of Education more influence over teacher recruitment and promotion, could limit employment possibilities for teachers and change registration requirements.
Furthermore, the TSC is opposed to the Ministry drafting guidelines for retooling and upgrading teacher programs without consulting the Commission.
The TSC also opposes decentralization of its functions, as well as the proposal to empower the Ministry to regulate operations in educational institutions, as this could lead to conflicts and render present regulations obsolete. The Commission claims that these suggestions violate its constitutional authority and operational independence.
The TSC highlighted concerns about proposed revisions that would subject its rulings to the jurisdiction of an Education Appeals Tribunal, thus jeopardizing its independence. The Commission also expressed worry about being assigned new responsibilities outside of its constitutional authority.
Finally, the TSC emphasized a number of proposals that, in its opinion, require additional analysis and alignment with constitutional and statutory provisions in order to promote harmony in the education system.
 has called on the National Assembly){kind=link}