The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has merged the human resource management division with the pensions department in order to speed up the processing of pension records for about 2000 teachers who retire yearly.
TSC targets to kick out bureaucracies that have been attributed to delays in processing pension details for teachers before they are sent to the National Treasury’s Pensions Department for payment.
The commission announced the departure from the past system where teachers had to shuffle from one department to another while making pension claims.
Some die before claiming their benefits as others resort to court battles to have their duly money paid.
The merge is set to “align all human resource processes from entry to exit, serving as a one-stop-shop for all human resource-related matters.” Said TSC in a circular.
TSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia said the decision will create seamless and effective service delivery from entry to exit of all teachers employed by the commission.
Teachers have been suffering from excessive delays that sometimes run into years after formal retirement with a lack of harmony between the National Treasury and the two key departments being blamed.
“All communication from teachers will be channelled through the county directors’ offices and all county human resource officers will work with sub-county directors to ensure submission of records to do with salary payments from entry to exit, conformation of appointment, performance appraisals, pension claims and gratuity,” states the circular to all regional and county directors.
Pension and gratuity payouts ran to Kh20.44 billion in the 2020/2021 financial year the state raced to sort a group of retired teachers who retired 24 years ago (1997) as ordered by a court after a revision of pension claims.
This saw the value of benefits given to civil servants grow by 33.33 per cent in July last year. The court in 2019, had heard that more than 50,000 teachers who retired between 1997 and 2003 had not received their pension as expected.
This year, the government launched a new pension scheme (PSSS) for public servants, including teachers which requires them to contribute 7.5 per cent of their pay.
The Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS), is mandatory for all teachers employed by TSC, and all public service workers, and any other under the age of 45.
The Teachers Service Commission has also directed its senior management officers in the regions to forward details of teachers who have attained global, national and local recognition to be featured in the Teachers Image publication that is made quarterly by TSC.
“The aspects may include exemplary performance in national examinations, sports, theatre, institutional management, innovation, community service or advocacy,” TSC said in the circular.
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