TSC replaces striking teachers in North Eastern

According to Garissa County TSC County Director Shabaan Mohammed, the county had filled 46 slots in primary and 34 in secondary although they still have a deficit of 550 and 100 teachers in primary and secondary respectively.

He said they received overwhelming applicantions mostly from non-locals and were forced to send other applications to Wajir and Mandera counties for consideration noting that only 9 applicants for primary school slots and 5 for secondary school positions came from the region.

“Even as we try to improve the education sector in this region, I urge area leadership to put up better housing facilities for teachers in order to improve efficiency,” he said.

Last month close to 2,000 teachers stationed in the North Eastern region declared that they would not go back to their stations due to insecurity leading to a standoff with their employer TSC.

The discomfort began after an attack in November last year where 24 teachers were killed by suspected Al Shabaab militia on their way home for Christmas holidays when a Nairobi-bound bus they were travelling in was ambushed in Mandera County near the Kenya-Somali border.

Speaking on the matter, Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion accused North Eastern leaders of turning their backs on teachers.

“They have engaged in media war yet the teachers who have served diligently in their regions are raising pertinent issues,” he said.

By Amos Sambu