KNUT asks the TSC to conduct a fair teacher hiring process.
Collins Oyuu, the Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), has urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to uphold its autonomy, authority, and integrity in the hiring of teachers for public schools.
He cautioned that political meddling, which he said had spoiled the process, should be avoided.
Oyuu, speaking at a Sunday church service at Chepkogonyo Deliverance Church in Bomet County, voiced worry about how the recent teacher recruitment process was carried out. He held some politicians responsible for improper interference in the procedure, which was otherwise an explicit and constitutional responsibility of the TSC.
In an effort to gain political advantage and potentially undermine the integrity of the teaching profession, Oyuu claimed that certain politicians nationwide were brazenly handing out TSC employment letters at funerals and political events, disregarding the traditionally accepted standards.
“The previous teacher recruitment was not conducted fairly. When our teachers are hired under ambiguous and questionable conditions, we, as a union, experience the agony of politicians handing out TSC letters at funerals and barazas to further their political agendas. “The whole procedure generates more questions than answers,” Oyuu stated.
The union leader emphasized that these actions not only compromised the TSC’s credibility, but also threw desperate job seekers into unwarranted worry and suffering.
According to Oyuu, the KNUT secretaries in every county have been getting complaints from young, unemployed graduate teachers who were unfairly treated and discriminated against by politicians who were solely interested in rewarding their supporters when distributing the letters, regardless of merit or year of graduation.
He stated that the distribution of TSC teacher recruitment forms was plagued by inconsistencies and that some recipients were allegedly coerced into selling their belongings in order to acquire the forms from dishonest individuals.
“We have received disturbing reports of young graduates and their families selling land to buy TSC forms that were allegedly being auctioned and this is unacceptable,” he stated.
Oyuu reiterated that KNUT had accumulated enough evidence of anomalies in the hiring procedure and was prepared to share the results with the TSC if requested.
“We are ready to show proof if necessary.” “It is time TSC scrutinizes its processes and ensures transparency in the whole exercise,” he stated.
Additionally, the KNUT Secretary General implored the commission to follow official hiring procedures to the letter, such as giving priority to the year of graduation and other merit-based factors, rather than letting outside parties manipulate and dilute the process.
“Let fairness and merit be the basis for employment. “Oyuu stated that the correct guidelines, such as academic credentials and graduation year, should be adhered to.
His statement comes as the TSC has revealed its intention to hire 20,000 more instructors by July of this year in an effort to alleviate the country’s severe teacher shortage.
Oyuu, on the other hand, emphasized that these initiatives would be futile unless the TSC maintains transparency by adhering to its mandate.
“We challenge TSC to demonstrate transparency in the upcoming recruitment by refraining from employing politicians who are not recruitment agents to distribute the appointment letters. “Let them, as it were, restore the trust of the teaching fraternity and the public,” he stated.
The KNUT leader’s worries about the recent participation of politicians and others who are not TSC agents in teacher recruitment have generated public interest and will probably cause surprise in the next TSC recruitment campaign.
