Muranga teachers sign performance contracts

Head teachers from public schools in Murang’a North region have signed performance contracts in a process led by officers from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) contrary to opposition from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) who directed its members not to participate in the performance contracting for head teachers and appraisals for teachers by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

KNUT accused TSC of being in “total disregard of all laid down procedures and in blatant defiance of the laws provided for under Chapter 10 of the Constitution and Section 13 of the Teachers Service Commission Act”.

“What is being introduced fundamentally alters the negotiated and agreed terms and conditions of service under which the teachers were first employed,” read the KNUT statement.

KNUT  had directed its members not to participate in the process and exercise until teachers get further directions after TSC engages the union in analyzing and agreeing on the evaluation tool.

In the exercise that was overseen by the County TSC Director Ibrahim Aden, the Murang’a teachers were sensitized on what the contracts entail before they were allowed to go ahead and sign them.

Aden stressed that the performance contracts are not aimed to humiliate and threaten teachers as alleged by the teachers’ unions.

Murang’a North KNUT Executive Secretary Njoki Kamina told teachers not to sign the contracts as the pact will involve their schemes of service which need to be discussed before.

Kamina said although the move to appraise teachers’ performance is good to ensure better quality of education in public schools, the manner in which the exercise is being done is questionable and the performance contracts can be used by TSC to intimidate teachers.

On his part, Aden told the 250 head teachers that the commission is not intending to jeopardize their jobs using the contract performance noting that all civil servants are under the performance appraisals.

“Putting teachers under performance contracts should not be perceived as a way to punish teachers as modes of assessing teachers have been there only that we have changed the style of doing it this time,” he said.

The director said the move by TSC to introduce performance appraisal tools is aimed at improving  education standards in all public schools.

He explained that the head teachers are required to sign performance contracts to make them accountable and efficient in utilizing school resources.

“Ordinary teachers will be engaged into annual performance appraisals where they will be required to set targets that will used to evaluate their yearly performance.”

The director said that the new system will help in achieving a fair ground for promotion of teachers based on merit after thorough evaluation of their performance.

“This system of meritocracy shall enhance a culture of merit in any undertaking of the commission and shall also assist in diagnosing the challenges that may lead to failure in achieving set targets,” he explained.

The director further said the appraisal tools will help to curb absenteeism of teachers which has greatly affected performance of many schools.