The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) is finalising its Five Year Corporate Plan 2016-2020.
The corporate plan will be aimed at implementing the Parliament Referral Committee on Education Recommendations presented in the Education Report (2014).
This Report was presented to Parliament on August 26, 2014 by Wabag MP Robert Ganim and approved by Parliament.
The findings in the Report stated that every year teachers raise concerns over non-payment and underpayment of salaries, allowances and lengthy delays in the payment of entitlements.
To address these ongoing issues, Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education have come up with the following recommendations:
1. That immediate reviews are conducted into the DoE and the TSC.
2. That the National Government conduct comprehensive reviews to amend relevant sections of the Teaching Service Act 1988 that defines the allowance and entitlements of teachers.
3. That the TSC in consultation with the DoE conducts a review into the appointment process of teachers.
4. That TSC and the DoE consider increasing the teachers’ appointment tenure from three years to four years.
5. That the National Government consider identifying a more suitable and working pay roll system for teachers or reconfigure the ALEXCO Payroll System so that it can suit the specifications of salaries and entitlements of teachers.
6. That the DoE empowers provincial education authorities through the decentralization process to take full ownership of the ALEXCO Payroll System or any appropriate payroll system.
7. That the National Government directs the DoE to conduct and audit into teachers’ leave fares with the view to pay the leave fares in cash directly into teachers bank accounts.
8. That the National Government directs the DoE and the TSC and provincial administrations to conduct an annual update for teachers in the first quarter of each year.
9. That the National Government considers the plight of the TSC and empowers it with annual budgetary appropriation and financial responsibilities to operate as an autonomous entity of the State as per the Teaching Service Act.
10. That the DoE and the TSC conduct a review into the processes and procedures on retirement, retrenchment and resignation of teachers in the teaching service.
11. That the National Government through the DoE develops a modern standardized system of keeping records and data base for teachers in the teaching service.
12. That the National Government considers and revisits the functions of the TSC with view to increase its manpower capacity and to manage teacher payroll system independently.
Recommendation 13 compelled the Education Ministry to provide a response to the 12 recommendations.
TSC chairman Baran Sori says by the end of January he should have details on how the TSC would play its part in implementing the PRCE Recommendations.
The government has approved K7.8 million for implementation.