Lecturers under new department

YESTERDAY was payday for all public servants including teachers from elementary, primary and secondary schools in the country.
However, a group of about 900 teachers and lecturers from technical, teachers and business colleges may have missed out on their salaries and allowances.
This is because of the National Executive Council (NEC) decision to transfer these group of teachers from the Education Department and Teaching Service Commission (TSC) to the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST).
Following the NEC decision, two legislations were passed by Parliament to effect the transfer process.
The legislations are the Higher and Technical Education Reform Act 2020 and the Higher Education General Provisions (amendment Act) 2020.
Under the Higher and Technical Education Reform Act, lecturers in teachers, technical and business colleges remain members of the teaching service or employees of the TSC until they sign contracts of employment with the relevant college governing councils.
However, this has not been facilitated by DHESRT.
Up till now, DHESRT is yet to complete the appointment process for lecturers from these institutions.
DHERST is yet to create positions in consultation with the Department of Personnel Management for these lecturers.
Moreover, DHESRT is yet to facilitate the membership of the respective governing councils to facilitate the contracts of employment for the lecturers.
When all these issues remain outstanding, DHERST secretary wrote to the Finance and Treasury departments advising them that as of pay one of 2022, DHERST will start paying their lecturers and not the TSC and the Education Department.
DHESRT secretary further informed senior education and TSC officers that as of the first pay of 2022, the lecturers personal emoluments will be paid by DHESRT.
This is in contrary to the Higher and Technical Education Reform Act 2020, which provides that these teachers shall remain as members of the teaching service until they sign contracts of employment.
On Dec 21, the Education secretary wrote to the DHESRT secretary advising him that the Education Department’s personal emoluments for the lecturers will cease as of the Jan 1 and that DHESRT will now take on the responsibility of paying its new employees to DHESRT.
The suspension of the lecturers’ pays by the Education Department and TSC is in order since the DHESRT secretary himself had requested for the college lecturers personal emoluments to be transferred to DHESRT by the first pay of 2022.
The DHESRT secretary further publicly announced that the lecturers from these colleges will come under DHESRT by Jan 1.
Lecturers from these colleges who missed out on their salaries/allowances on this fortnight need to see their new administrative employer, which is DHESRT and not TSC.
If the lecturers are not paid this fortnight, then the DHESRT secretary should be held accountable.

Senior Officer,
Ministry of Education