The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has officially suspended the unpopular Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training programme.
This has happened following Chief Justice Martha Koome’s and her counterparts unanimously dismissing a petition filed by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition candidate Raila Odinga who was pushing for the declaration of Dr William Ruto as null and void.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the election of William Samoei Ruto as Kenya’s fifth president.
During the launch of his manifesto at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani, Nairobi, Dr Ruto said that his government would pay for the infamous TPD programme.
President-elect William Samoei Ruto is set to be sworn in on the 13th of September when he shall officially take the reigns.
TSC has also done away with the TSC package which had been incorporated as usual following the closure of schools on the 16th of September.
The Commission had also planned that the TSC package which had been incorporated into the online Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) portal.
This move means that teachers are now not going to be obligated to attend the TPD training as has been the case.
The Commission had also planned to launch a sensitization programme on TPD together with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) after the August polls.
KNUT now has more than 115,000 members and said that the TPD was rolled out in 2013 but became unpopular because TSC did not invest in sensitizing teachers on the need, usefulness and benefits to the teaching profession.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said that KNUT and TSC agreed that the Commission organizes sensitization workshops for all teachers so as to make them understand the TPD and its implementation.
According to Oyuu, the resistance that was witnessed after the TPD was launched was caused by a lack of proper sensitization.
However, things are set to swiftly change with the Commission set to undergo drastic changes to be in line with the incoming government.
For teachers to attend the TPD, they were required to pay around Kshs. 6,000 for each of the modules which were to be done after every five years.
Most teachers did not like the training which required them to part with a stipend of Kshs. 6,000 saying that they could not afford it.
However, some teachers have been undertaking the courses remotely while others have been attending the courses physically.
Mount Kenya University which usually advertises for the TPD intake early has not done the same this time round.
Riara University, Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University and the Kenya Education Management Institute were charged with the training and have been contracted on an annual agreement which can be extended.
The TPD has six modules with training being conducted during the holidays. Teachers are awarded some points upon completion of each module.
After completing all the modules, teachers will be eligible for re-certification and promotion because the modules have been integrated into the Career Progression Guidelines.
In July, training teachers were asked to pay for the TPD Modules despite funds being allocated for the same in the National Assembly.
The National Treasury allocated Kshs. 1.16 billion to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for the only purpose of training teachers.
In the 2022-2023 budget, the Commission had allocated Kshs. 289.37 billion as the gross current and capital estimates and Kshs. 7.23 billion for general administration, planning and support services.
The allocation was done following a series of lobbying and requests from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) through the education and budget committees.
“I thank Parliament for being a friend of the teachers despite opposition from the executive which has insisted each teacher gathers for the programme,” said MP Ronald Tonui.
Tonui who was a member of the education committee said that teachers were going to undergo TPD training without spending even a shilling.
According to Tonui, there were concerns from teachers who claimed that they were facing difficulties in getting money for the training.
Tonui said that the Commission should follow up with the National Treasury to have funds disbursed.
The policy by the Commission is under the career progression guidelines and was introduced to replace the old scheme of service that was in place for teachers.
In the beginning, the TPD faced fierce string opposition from the teachers’ unions but was implemented last year.
All teachers employed in public schools have been under pressure to undergo the training during the holidays all along according to the Commission’s regulations.
A policy paper prepared by the Commission in 2018 reveals that teachers will be trained for about five days during school holidays.
After starting the TPD programme, a teacher is required to acquire a certificate which is renewable every five years.
Despite facing a lot of opposition from various parties, TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia defended the rollout of the programme saying that it updates teacher knowledge, skills, attitude and values and encourages teachers’ learning communities.
According to Dr Nancy Macharia, teachers will also be able to keep up to date with the changes in the academic world.