Nairobi — The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has appealed to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to join forces with the union in the recruitment and hiring of new teachers.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu said there is need for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to join forces with the union in the recruitment and hiring of new teachers.
Oyuu underscored the importance of collaboration between trade unions and the TSC in sourcing the educators essential for the country's evolving education system.
"We must all agree that we must walk together side by side. Trade unions and TSC, the employer, should work together to realize the teachers we need for the education we want," said Oyuu on Thursday during the World Teachers Day celebration in Nairobi.
Oyuu further emphasized that teachers' needs should be comprehensively addressed to enable them to provide high-quality education to learners.
"A teacher who is well catered for is the one who shall perform and lead to the quality education that we want," he stated.
Benta Opande, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA), reiterated the necessity for all teachers across the country to enhance their skills in both digital learning and teaching to address the challenge of teacher shortages.
"We are encouraging our teachers to boost their digital learning and teaching skills. Once we have teachers who can teach using electronic gadgets such as laptops, we will not be crying about the shortage of teachers because one teacher can teach 300 kids in just one hour," she explained.
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Opande also revealed that KEWOTA is committed to partnering with other trade unions to help teachers enhance their skills.
Regarding the ongoing debate on education reforms, Opande emphasized the need for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to be safeguarded to maintain its independence as outlined in the constitution.
TSC rejected some proposals from the presidential working party on education reforms led by Prof. Raphael Munavu, stating that some of the recommendations if implemented, would encroach upon the constitutional mandate of the commission and compromise its independence.
The Working Party had recommended that responsibilities such as promotion, recruitment, retraining, discipline, and teacher transfers, currently managed by the TSC, be transferred to the Ministry of Education."
