Politics and policy
Teachers Service Commission Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni. File
By REBECCA OKWANY
In Summary
- Lengoiboni said the need to retain special skills like fine arts and the difficulty in finding replacement for heads of institutions in hardship areas has forced TSC to retain some teachers beyond retirement age.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) today defended
its recent move to extend the service of some teachers who had reached
the retirement age.
TSC Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni said most of the teachers
whose terms were extended could not be replaced due to their rare fields
of specialisation. Some were retained because of exceptional teaching
skills while others had their retirement age falling within the term
calendar.
The teachers' contracts were extended by up to
three years depending on the reasons they gave while seeking extension,
the TSC boss said today during the Kenya Primary School Heads
Association conference in Mombasa. “Teachers have individual
circumstances for requesting for extension. Some teachers are good
performers that even sponsors or parents want retained,” he said.
He said the need to retain special skills in areas
like fine arts and the difficulty in finding replacement for heads of
institutions in hardship areas has forced the employer to retain some
teachers beyond retirement age. He also added that TSC traditionally
extends terms of teachers whose retirement age falls within the term to
avoid disrupting learning.
Mr Lengoiboni further clarified that these
teachers’ terms had not been extended, rather, they have been given a
contract as a result and for those whose terms were extended, they had
changed their terms to contract terms and not extension terms.
Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua has since
ordered TSC to explain these extensions, a move opposed by the Kenya
National Union of Teachers (Knut). The current retirement age is 60
years.
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