Regional Teachers To Lose Hardship Allowances
Because of the recent action taken by the Teachers Service Commission to reclaim excessive payments from teachers’ pay stubs, particularly in the categories of hardship and dwelling allowance, teachers have expressed their concern on this matter. The measure taken by the administration has raised concerns among teaching professionals.
The government has stated that areas that have had population growth over the course of time do not meet the criteria necessary to be considered hardship zones. As a result, the government intends to terminate the payment of hardship allowance in these areas. Because a report on the evaluation of hardship zones is scheduled to be delivered in parliament very soon, the educators working in these areas are becoming increasingly concerned.
Concern has been expressed by educators who work in challenging environments regarding potential legislative developments. According to the research, there are three levels of hardship that can be experienced in a location: extreme hardship, ordinary hardship, and minor hardship. These levels of hardship can cause payment suspensions in particular locales.
This discussion is a result of a public petition that requested the Rachuonyo North constituency be labeled as a hardship region due to the high poverty in the area as well as concerns that exist within the schools in the constituency, such as low student enrollment and inadequate personnel.
In order to improve teacher morale and make the education industry more robust, the petition makes a request for the creation of established standards that can be used to determine whether or not a region is considered a hardship region.
In the 2021-2025 period, several regions were officially designated as Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) and hard-to-staff areas by the commission, including various sub-counties in counties like Baringo, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Kitui, Narok, Samburu, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir, and West Pokot.
It is essential to keep in mind that not all of the areas listed above are deemed to be hardship regions, and that some of the designations apply only to certain sub-counties and not to the entire county. In addition, inhabitants of Nyando, Lungalunga, Suba, and Chonyi, as well as some portions of Nandi, are continuing to receive installments of their hardship allowances.
