The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of State in the President’s Office of Regional Administration and Local Government, Gerald Mweli, has underscored the need for an orientation for newly recruited teachers to ensure that they adhere to rules, regulations and procedures in their employment.
This would familiarize them with civil service regulations so that the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) duties could be proactive rather than reactive.
Mweli ordered that newly recruited teachers should be given orientation training within seven days so that they can take up their new duties and know well their scope and mode of operation.
He made the remarks at the inauguration of TSC Southern Highlands and Western Zones District Committee members here yesterday, saying teachers must be enabled to know the rules, regulations and procedures in advance.
“TSC must not wait to take disciplinary action against teachers if they did not offer them orientation training when they were hired, that is not the best practice,” he said.
“The majority of teachers are young and come from different backgrounds. That’s the reason they need orientation, otherwise, they are likely to unknowingly do things that are not in their context,” he added.
Mweli said the TSC should be a problem solver rather than a source of challenges and urged commissioners to advocate for fairness in decision-making as they impact the future of teachers.
He urged commissioners to express their opinions freely as the government’s ultimate goal is a strong and vibrant education sector.
For her part, TSC Executive Secretary Paulina Nkwama called on members to fully participate in capacity-building training as they play a key role in the application of disciplinary measures and decision-making.
“We want you to exercise free and fair judgment in teacher disciplinary cases,” she stressed.
Ms. Nkwama praised the TSC for showing a high level of professionalism in handling teacher matters.