Parliament has hinted at a possible review of the mandate of the Teachers Service Commission to clip its regulatory powers.
The National Assembly Committee on Education wants separation of powers, with the TSC only being the employer and a different entity as the regulator.
The regulatory agency is yet to be identified.
A regulator is a public organisation that imposes and enforces requirements for those entering and in the profession and setting the standard for activities.
If the proposal sails through, it will be a big win for former Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary general Wilson Sossion who, during his tenure, was strongly opposed to TSC’s double role as employer and regulator.
Sossion, who sits in the Education committee, noted the need to have a regulatory agency to end conflict of interest currently witnessed at TSC.
However, critics argue that a legal barrier lies in the efforts to strip off the TSC of its regulatory powers as it is captured on Article 237 of the Constitution.
On Thursday, Busia Woman Representative Florence Mutua and the chair of the committee said that the Education ministry and committee members will go for a two-week retreat to deliberate on the matter.
Subsequently, the TSC will lose powers to register teachers entering the profession.