The recently launched Teachers Professional Development program (TPD) has been dealt a severe setback after an education consultant, Joseph Ngethe Karanja, filed a lawsuit against it.
Karanja filed a court petition Monday seeking an injunction to prevent the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from implementing the scheme, alleging a lack of public involvement as required by Article 232 of the Constitution.
The petitioner asked the court to declare the required teacher training program invalid because it violated the supreme law.
The petitioner claims that the TSC forced the program by enshrining it in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), failing to engage in the required public engagement in the process.
At the same time, the petitioner has voiced concerns about TSC’s decision to tie teacher advancement to mandatory professional courses and to impose additional educational requirements for their ongoing employment despite having completed the required education.
According to Karanja, the TPD program is in breach of Kenya’s constitution’s Article 41, which covers fair labor conditions for workers.
“Arbitrarily appointing the 4th to 8th respondents as the sole providers in teachers training under Teachers Professional Development Programme (TPD) and without engaging in open and transparent training programme as required by the law,” the petition read.
