Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association wants the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to stop the delocalization of school principals to work away from their homes.
The Bungoma KESSHA chairperson Edward Bikala argued that delocalization policy should be repealed with immediate effect to allow teachers to serve in their counties.
He spoke in Webuye during the burial ceremony of Wycliffe Kiveu who was the principal of Maralal National school in Samburu, who died of Covid-19 related illness.
“Covid-19 is killing our teachers, they die far from their families and that is why we want the government to stop delocalization of teachers,” said Bikala.
His sentiments were echoed by his counterpart from Kakamega County who registered fear over the speed at which high school principals in the area have been losing their lives due to the Covid-19.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Bungoma East branch secretary Aggrey Namisi observed that a number of the teachers’ deaths had also been attributed to transfers implemented by the Teachers’ Service Commission.
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The commission although defend this exercise whereby it argues that delocalisation is not meant to punish teachers, but is aimed at promoting national cohesion.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC)CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia while appearing before the Senate Committee on Education some few months ago defended delocalisation of teachers, saying that it is not made to punish tutors but aims to promote national cohesion.
Macharia acknowledged that the transfers had some flaws at the beginning, but the agency has since fixed them.
“Delocalisation is simply a transfer; we want to ensure that teachers do not teach in their locality for their entire teaching life but are exposed to other cultures,” said Mrs Macharia.
The CEO said the commission has since stopped transferring teachers to far-flung regions from their counties. For primary school teachers, she said, tutors are transferred from one sub-county to another within the same county or in counties near their home counties.