TSC news - TSC to pay allowances before CBC training Teachers demand

Teachers want their employer to start releasing allowances and transport money before they report for training on the new curriculum.

Several at training centres across the country told the Nation that they were compelled to sign allowance forms, which did not indicate the amounts they would receive for upkeep.

They complained that their head teachers sent them messages asking them to report to the training centres, for the four-day programme that ended on Monday, without considering their upkeep.

“We were not informed about travel, upkeep and accommodation allowances, yet we were expected to report to the training as early as 8am,” one said.

UNCERTAINTY

The teachers, who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation by their employer, said they had been signing allowance forms since the competency based curriculum was introduced in 2018.

“Teachers should be given the allowances before they leave their homes to make arrangements on where to sleep as they train,” said one Makindu training centre in Makueni County.

The teachers, who were trained on special needs education (SNE), also wondered why the allowances are not released to head teachers so they can be distributed before training.

“We fill the forms but remain uncertain on when the allowances will be paid, " said one in Machakos County.

Tutors at training centers in Makueni, Machakos, Nairobi, Kiambu and parts of the western region raised similar concerns.

TSC'S RESPONSE

Reached for comment on the claims, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) termed them false and a misconception.

Communication Officer Catherine Lenairoshi said the allowances are paid through the teachers' bank accounts, "hence the requirement for them to give their details and sign".

Ms Lenairoshi added that the teachers were asked to sign the attendance sheet daily.

“The accountant uses the original attendance list to process payments in case a participant failed to sign up,” she said.

She added that for the sake of accountability, the teachers were informed, through country directors, that their accounts would be credited with a Sh5,000 daily allowance and a further Sh2,000 for transport to and from training centres.

BUDGET

According to data from the Controller of Budget (CoB), the TSC spent Sh408.4 million in 2019 to train teachers on the CBC, up from the Sh8.7 million spent in 2018.

The budget accounted for 59.7 per cent of the total spending on training by the government in the three months to September 2019.

Some 228,000 teachers have been trained since the new curriculum was rolled out.

A total of 106,000 were trained in various regions from Thursday to Sunday ahead of Grade Four roll-out on Tuesday.

In September 2019, the TSC sacked 42 teachers for failing to attend the CBC training that took place across the country in April that year. A further 124 teachers were suspended, 30 warned and 17 pardoned.

Up to 219 teachers from 11 centres in Bungoma, Kitui, Kisii, Vihiga, Garisa,Kakamega, Kajiando, Kisii, Nyamira and Kwale counties faced the commission for disciplinary action.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) moved to court to seek reinstatement of teachers who lost their jobs.