Munavu team got it all wrong on TSC's quality assurance function

Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary-general Collins Oyuu and Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms chairman Raphael Munavu address the press on November 16, 2022, at the union's head office along Mfangano Street in Nairobi, after a meeting on education reforms. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

It says the Commission may, after inquiry, cause to be removed from the register of teachers the name of any person-who has died; who the Commission is satisfied has obtained registration through fraudulent means; who has been convicted of a sexual offence or an offence against a pupil or student; who has been convicted of a criminal offence which, in the opinion of the Commission, renders the person unfit to be a teacher; who the Commission has directed should be removed as a result of disciplinary proceedings instituted under this Act; or suffers from such physical or mental illness or infirmity which renders the person incapable of performing the duties of a teacher.

This is what the quality assurance department at the TSC is all about as entrenched in the Act.

Quality assurance department

On the other hand, the quality assurance department at Jogoo House B derives its responsibility from the Basic Education Act (Section 64) which spells out its roles as ensuring standards and maintaining quality in institutions of basic education; administering policies and guidelines set for basic education; supervising and overseeing curriculum implementation and delivery, monitoring the conduct of assessments and examinations in institutions of basic education; and monitoring and evaluating standards and quality in basic education.

And this is where the Act draws the line. Section 66 says: "Quality Assurance and Standards Officers may- (a) at any time enter any basic education and training institution with or without notice to ensure compliance with education standards and regulations, require any person responsible for the management of a basic educational institution or teacher or employee to produce for his or her quality review, any time table, syllabus, or record book, material or document; (ii) to furnish the Quality Assurance and Standards Officer with such information relating to the teaching or the management of the basic education institution..."

Symbiotic relationship

It is clear that there can only be a symbiotic relationship between the TSC and the ministry and the perceived conflict is only a fallacy. While TSC basically deals with credentialism and discipline, the ministry deals with actual teaching and learning and therefore the so-called 'sweeping 'recommendation to have the TSC's quality assurance department relinquish its responsibility to Jogoo House is a damp squib.

For all its expertise and eminence in make-up, the working party put a damper on the quality of its research through this faux pas and to a large extent the overall authority of its report.

The writer is a consulting editor

[email protected]