Please check your calendar. Check the year. It is 2015. Isn’t it?
A period of nine years has elapsed since the last publication. It is almost a
decade now.
The publication of new TSC schemes of service is long overdue. The
current schemes of service for both graduate and non-graduate teachers were
published in 2007
(Exactly 9 years ago). A child who was born in 2007 is almost
joining form one to be taught by a teacher whose scheme of service has not
changed since the kid was born.
Issues that need to be addressed
The first issue is to recognize Job Group M as a common cadre.
This can only be done through republication of SoS.
The current schemes of service are too outdated. Reading them is so
difficult because the constitution introduced new administrative structures.
The current SoS still refer to the permanent secretary of education and yet the
position was scrapped long ago in 2010. This referral is understandable but it
is a reminder that new SoS ought to be published.
The schemes of service are completely blind to the new recruitment
of teachers which is based on county merit lists. The current SoS are based on
the unitary system of government any yet we are currently having a devolved
system of Government.
The current (2007) schemes of service do not recognize job group K
and L as two distinct cadres. As per the current SoS, job group K and L form a
common establishment. This issue needs to be looked at consultatively.
Masters issue
There is no doubt that more and more teachers have enrolled in
postgraduate studies. Some have acquired Masters and others, PhDs. However, as
per the 2007 SoS, they are only awarded incremental benefits. There are no
specific job cadres for postgraduate teachers. The only point where a Masters
is required is when one is to be promoted to either job group P, job group Q or
job group R.