Teachers Service Commission layoff about 50 teachers from service due to disciplinary cases.
The offences included misappropriation of funds and other ordinary crimes, while 25 teachers faced charges of “immoral behaviour”.
Among those dismissed, 23 were new cases, while 26 were reviews for various offences. The commission introduced the virtual hearings in August and has lined up more disciplinary cases before the end of the year.
The commission announced the dismissals after holding virtual hearings for 177 cases that had been pending after schools closed in March.
Fourteen tutors had their review for dismissal and removal from the teachers’ register upheld, whereas 16 new ones were dismissed and struck out of the register in October.
Miss Mary Rotich, the director Field Services said that the hearing of discipline cases virtually was a milestone that supported dispensation of cases that had overstayed due to Covid-19 containment measures that saw schedules for hearing cases face-to-face in the field for March up to June 2020 cancelled.
With a warning, 45 teachers had their earlier dismissal waived after review, while 14 others have been suspended within the period. Teachers who have been struck out of the register are by law not allowed to teach in any school, whether public or private.
53 more cases have been lined up by teachers’ employer to be heard by commissioners from today up to December 4.
“We allow teachers to call their witnesses, just like in a face-to-face hearing. We give them the links just before the hearing begins and insist that they must show their faces during the entire hearing so that we may be sure we are dealing with the right person,” Betty Wababu, the head of corporate communications at the Teacher Service Commission said.
Only three teachers had their dismissal waived and interdiction revoked, six had their suspensions upheld while eight others were suspended afresh.
The commission says it aims at reducing the occurrence of indiscipline among teachers and that it has approved a policy on implementation of tutor induction, mentor ship and coaching.
