TSC: Local teachers posted to Wajir, Mandera applying for transfer citing insecurity

By: Ibrahim Happy 

MANDERA—The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has reacted to statements coming from education stakeholders and leaders from Nothern Kenya, insisting that the problem bedevelling the local education sector was self-inflicted.

While applauding the effort by the locals to fill-up the space created by teachers fleeing from what they claim is insecurity, Ibrahim Hish, the regional director of the TSC said even locals are now applying for transfer whilst giving insecurity as an excuse.

Speaking to Kulan Post, Ibrahim said TSC has been posting ethnically Somali teachers to the Northeastern counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa since 2020.

“More than 50 percent of the teachers recruited and posted to Northeastern schools are locals. That trend has been ongoing for two years now,” Ibrahim noted.

TSC Regional Director, Ibrahim Hish. (Courtesy)

He stated that the call by stakeholders for the young people to join teaching colleges has borne born fruits “because more students from the region are now joining teacher’s training colleges than before and TSC is sending more to the region to fill the void created by the non-locals.”

While citing Ahmed Liban Secondary School in Wajir as an example, Hish said TSC has posted at least ten graduates who are locals.

“Ahmed Liban Secondary School has ten teachers who were born in Wajir. One of the teachers we posted was a former headboy of the school,” he added.

Since 2018, non-local teachers and healthcare workers have been leaving in huge numbers, citing insecurity. However, TSC came under fire after they approved the transfer applications of teachers hundreds of kilometres away from border towns.

The matter was relived during the recent public participation exercise in review of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Ubah Gedi, a politician and activist based in Mandera faulted the TSC, saying the top managers post their “cousins to schools in the region and when they get the experience, they transfer them.”

Her sentiment was echoed by Hassan Geley, an MCA in Garissa who said TSC ” was the cancer killing the education sector in the region.”

While in Kutulo in Wajir County during the campaigns, President Ruto—a candidate then—dismissed the claims of teacher’s exodus over insecurity.

In response, the regional director said the teacher’s employer is not be blamed. “Outrageously, local teachers just recently posted along the border towns are now applying for transfer over insecurity,” Ibrahim revealed.

Citing Khorof Harar in Wajir and Arabia in Mandera as examples, Ibrahim challenged stakeholders to “at least convince the local teachers to remain in their stations.”

Ibrahim further revealed that Garissa County has the least number of teachers who are locals compared to Wajir and Mandera Counties. Mandera leads with the highest number followed by Wajir county.

Mandera High School, for instance, has a total of 61 teachers: 36 locals, 3 non-locals and 22 employed by the BOM. Ibrahim said the school has a shortfall of 24 teachers.

Wajir High School has: 21 locals, 6 non-locals and 12 retained by the BOM. It has a shortfall of nine teachers.

According to the regional boss, local trained teachers with accredited papers will be given top priority to fill the big void.