Call for Transparent and Merit-Based Teacher Recruitment and Promotion Intensifies

Education stakeholders in Kakamega County, comprising parents and teachers, are imploring the government to prioritize merit in the recruitment, promotion, and deployment of teachers. They contend that emphasizing merit will assist in rectifying regional disparities in teacher-to-student ratios and enhance the overall quality of education throughout the nation.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been urged to rigorously follow legal protocols during the recruitment of teachers to mitigate political interference, which many assert has increasingly obfuscated the process.

A recent promotion exercise involving 151,611 teachers ignited vigorous debates in the National Assembly. Legislators condemned the process, emphasizing concerns regarding favoritism and irregularities within the TSC.

Members of Parliament on the Education Committee highlighted that the commission appeared to favor newly appointed teachers at the expense of those with greater experience. They also remarked on the unequal allocation of promotion opportunities, with certain counties receiving significantly more than others.

According to these MPs, “teachers who scored 80 percent in interviews were promoted over those who scored 100 percent. ” They further accused TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and board chairman Jamleck Muturi of presenting false documentation, calling for a transparent reassessment of the promotion criteria.