Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri has petitioned the Senate over what she says is the exclusion of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers from the ongoing Teachers Service Commission (TSC) promotion exercise.
Okenyuri has sought a statement from the Senate Committee on Education, describing the matter as one of national concern and raising concerns over the treatment of teachers deployed to JSS.
The senator said concerns had been raised that qualified JSS teachers were unable to participate in the ongoing promotion exercise because the TSC online application system did not recognise their deployment status.
“Concerns have arisen that qualified teachers serving in Junior Secondary Schools have been excluded in the exercise as the online application system recognises teachers deployed to primary and secondary schools,” Okenyuri said.
She wants the committee to establish whether JSS teachers were excluded from the exercise and determine whether the decision is consistent with TSC human resource and career progression policies.
Okenyuri said the commission should provide clarity on the criteria being used to identify teachers eligible for promotion and explain whether the current framework adequately caters for teachers serving at the junior secondary education level.
She is also seeking information on whether TSC intends to review its promotion framework and online application system to accommodate qualified JSS teachers.
She is seeking measures to ensure the group has equal opportunities for career advancement and wants the committee to establish whether changes will be made to enable eligible teachers to submit their applications and compete for promotional opportunities on an equal footing with their colleagues in primary and secondary schools.
“Whether TSC intends to review the ongoing promotion framework and online application system to enable qualified JSS teachers to apply for promotional opportunities,” she said.
She further wants the committee to recommend measures to ensure teachers are not disadvantaged because of their deployment to a particular level of education.
She said all qualified teachers should have equitable access to promotion, professional development and career advancement opportunities.
“The measures to ensure all qualified teachers, regardless of their level of deployment, have equitable access to promotion, professional development and career advancement opportunities,” she said.
The petition follows concerns raised by Okenyuri about the career progression of teachers serving in JSS under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) education structure.
Okenyuri said teachers who meet the required qualifications and performance standards should not be locked out of promotion opportunities because of limitations in an online system or differences in their deployment categories.
She wants the Senate Committee on Education to engage TSC and establish whether the commission's current promotion arrangements comply with its human resource policies and the principles of fairness and equal opportunity.
The Senate Committee on Education is expected to consider the request for a statement.
Okenyuri said addressing the issue would help restore confidence among JSS teachers and ensure that professional development opportunities are distributed fairly across the teaching workforce.
