Official suspension of the controversial Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training program has been made by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
This follows the unanimous dismissal of a petition by Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, who maintained that the declaration of Dr. William Ruto as the next president was invalid.
The election of William Samoei Ruto as Kenya’s fifth president was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Dr. Ruto declared that his government would foot the bill for the contentious TPD program during the introduction of his manifesto at the Moi Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi.
On September 13th, Ruto will be sworn in, at which point he will formally assume the role of leader.
A TSC package that had been included in the online Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) portal has also been abandoned.
This most recent action indicates that instructors won’t go to the training, as is customary, once schools let out on September 16.
After the elections in August, TSC and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) had also intended to start a TPD awareness campaign.
The TPD, which was implemented in 2013, was deemed a positive idea by the teachers’ union, which currently claims over 115,000 members, but TSC made no efforts to educate instructors about its importance, practicality, or advantages.
According to Collins Oyuu, the secretary general of Knut, Knut and TSC concurred that the commission conduct workshops to make all instructors aware of TPD and its implementation.
According to Oyuu, the lack of sufficient sensitization led to the resistance that was observed when the TPD program was implemented.
However, as the Commission now makes significant reforms to be in line with the next government, everything looks to fall apart.
Each of the modules, which must be completed every five years, has cost teachers Sh6,000.
The majority of teachers are against the training because it will reduce their modest pay. They claim to be unable to pay for it.
While some of the teachers finished the course online, others physically attended the sessions.
When it comes to advertising for the upcoming intake, Mount Kenya University has not done so as early as usual this time.
Under a one-year contract with a potential extension, Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University, Riara, and Kenya Education Management Institute are supplying the training.
There are six modules in the program. Training takes place during the holidays. A certain number of points will be awarded to teachers at the end of each module.
After completing all of the modules, instructors will be eligible for re-certification and advancement because the modules have been anchored in the professional progression criteria.
Despite funding being provided for the TPD modules in Parliament, training teachers were requested to pay for them in July.
The Teachers Service Commission received Sh1.16 billion from the National Treasury for the express purpose of providing teacher training.
The commission included Sh289.37 billion as gross current and capital estimates in the 2022–2023 budget, along with Sh7.23 billion for general administration, planning, and support services.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) successfully lobbied the education and budget committees to approve the allocation.
