Special School Teachers to Receive New Allowances from TSC

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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has rolled out allowances for educators in special schools to help attract and keep them in these institutions.

Nancy Macharia, CEO of TSC, disclosed this development while speaking to the Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee.

She also informed the Committee that there is a shortfall of 5,362 teachers in special needs schools across the country.

During her appearance on Tuesday before the Adan Haji-led Committee, Macharia announced that the TSC will provide Readers Facilitation or Aid allowances to teachers with visual impairments, hearing impairments, speech impairments, and physical disabilities.

“Special school allowances have also been introduced as an additional incentive for teachers with special education skills,” Macharia said.

She further explained that these new incentives are in addition to existing allowances like hardship and commuter allowances, aiming to recognize the unique challenges faced by these teachers.

Addressing the issue of teacher shortages, Macharia noted that TSC hired and placed 1,763 teachers in May. An additional 3,600 teachers will be posted to special schools in September of this year, and in January and June of the next year.

“Due to budget limitations, the Commission has implemented a phased approach for deploying teachers to special needs schools to manage the shortage,” she said.

Macharia also mentioned that a unique staffing model for special needs education has been developed and put into practice.

The TSC will adjust class sizes based on the type and severity of the students’ disabilities. For example, classes for students with intellectual disabilities are limited to four students, while those for physically disabled students have a maximum of 15 students.

“The goal of these regulations is to ensure that teachers can provide adequate attention to each special needs student,” Macharia explained. “Smaller class sizes enable better quality service for special needs learners.”