Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has finally agreed to compensate all teachers who did not receive their allowances. This follows a meeting between members of the Departmental Committee on Education and officials from TSC. The Peterson bill is intended to remedy the fiscal disputes of school administrators who have served for long periods as acting officials without receiving the cash due to a lack of transparency in their pay.
Background and Context
For many years, the unpaid allowances that some teachers in Kenya are owed have caused much consternation. School administrators, principals, head teachers, and acting deputies remain in these acting roles for years without being paid the acting allowances for their positions. That scenario has put the affected teachers under financial stress and disgruntlement.
Key Meeting Outcomes
Security of Allowance Arrears Payment
At a recent meeting, Honorable Julius Melly, the Tinderet Member of Parliament and chair of the Education Committee poked holes in the predicament faced by many teachers who have been serving in acting capacities for more than a year. This is an unethical practice as they (teachers) are humans and it is not good for their financial health and morale of the teachers. He urged the TSC to address the matter expeditiously.
Teachers Need More Power
Besides pushing the TSC to offer payment to the teachers, Melly further called for more powers for the same teachers who have been in acting positions. He said doing so would honor their work and allow them to better perform their functions.
Response from TSC
TSC Chairman Dr. Macharia responded to the concerns, highlighting the Commission’s challenges. She further confessed that the failure to pay the allowances was as a result of insufficient financial resources as well as the non-availability of the requisite budgetary allocations on the part of the government. TSC has also made several requests to the government to give them more funds to support and cater for these costs, Dr. Macharia said.
Special Duty Allowance
In a bid to prepare, Dr. Macharia said TSC had already initiated a process to have the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) approve the payment of a Special Duty Allowance to teachers working in other capacities. This allowance is for the educators as stand-in for permanent staff for disturbance of duties.
What It Means for Affected Teachers
This announcement suggesting that the withheld allowances would be fully reimbursed, as well as the possible award of Special Duty Allowance, is a big win for a lot of teachers who have felt underappreciated and underpaid for the longest time. It recognizes the importance of acting administrators in keeping the wheels turning at schools and in delivering a high-quality education.