MINISTRY OF EDUCATION-TSC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
THE TEACHERS SERVICE COMMISSION
1. What is the structure of TSC?
- The commissioners- chairperson, vice chairperson, commissioners (7)
- The secretary & deputy commission secretary
- Directors- HRM, Administration, Teacher management, Finance, ICT, Accounts & Internal audit
- Senior deputy directors
- Deputy directors
- Assistant deputy directors
- Principal officers
- Chief/senior officers
COUNTY STRUCTURE
- TSC county director
- TSC deputy county director (2)
- Assistant deputy directors-ICT, Teacher management, HRM, Procurement and stores, Accounts,
- County principal officers- ICT, Data analyst, Quality & standards, Staffing, Disciple, HRM, Pension, procurement, Stores, Accountant, Corporate communication, integrity assurance, services, AIDs control unit, Internal auditor,
- County chief officers
2. What are the functions of TSC?
- Registration of trained teachers
- Recruitment and employment of registered teachers
- Assign teachers employed by the commission for service in any public school or institution;
- Manage the payroll for teachers in employment
- Promotion and transfer of teachers
- Exercise disciplinary control over teachers
- Formulate policy to achieve its mandate
- Ensure teachers comply with the teaching standards prescribed under the commission Act
- Review the demand and supply of teachers
- Review the standards of education and training of persons entering the teaching service
- Facilitate career progression and professional development for teachers in the teaching service including the appointment of head teachers and principals
- Monitor the conduct and performance of teachers in the teaching service.
3. What empowers TSC to carry out their functions?
The constitution of Kenya Article 237(1) and the teachers service commission Act
4. What is the role of secretary of TSC?
- The head of the secretariat
- The accounting officer of the commission
- The custodian of records of the commission
- Execute the decisions of the commission
- Assign duties to and supervise the staff of the commission
- Facilitate, coordinate, and ensure the execution of the commission mandate
- Ensure staff compliance with public ethics and values
- Performs general administration of the commission
- Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the commission
6. Name three types of retirement benefits.
Pension, marriage & death Gratuity, and work injury benefits
7. When is a teacher given, study leave with pay?
- When selected for training by the commission, MOE or ministry of state for public service
- UT teachers in employment of TSC studying for a PGDE in approved universities
- UT technical teachers undertaking professional training in KTTC.
- Trained technical teachers & lecturers studying higher diploma or master’s degree in engineering, applied science, business studies and technical education
- P1/AT IV admitted in KISE to study a diploma in special education
- Teachers admitted in accredited local universities for master’s degrees in selected areas.
8. Under what circumstances can a teacher request for a special leave?
When a teacher has been selected, and appointed to attend a meeting, workshop, study tour or seminar for a duration not exceeding three months, which is of national interest or is relevant to education and teaching service
9. Who is the TSC agent in your school
The head of the institution
- KICD
10. Define curriculum, what is co-curricular?
CURRICULUM
“curriculum” means all the approved subjects taught or programmes offered and includes all the activities provided at any institution of basic education;
CO-CURRICULAR
Are activities, programmes, and learning experiences which complement what students learn in the academic curriculum in school.
11. Distinguish between formal and non-formal curriculum?
Formal education” means the regular education provided in the system of schools, and other formal educational institutions;
Non-formal education” means any organized educational activity taking place outside the framework of the formal education system and targets specific groups/categories of persons with life skills, values and attitudes for personal and community development;
12. What do you understand by ‘hidden curriculum’?
Unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values and perspectives that students learn in schools or in the social environment.
13. Give the process of curriculum development
It consists of nine stages namely:
- Need assessments: Information gathering, situational analysis and establishment of gaps
- Policy formulation: national goals, levels and subjects, number of skills areas/subjects.
- Designing of the curriculum: subject content, skills and topic objectives, scopes, and sequence charts, writing workshops, and subject panels.
- Syllabus development: writing workshops, subject panel meetings, course panel meetings, academic board meetings and printing and production of syllabuses.
- Development of curriculum support materials. Production of non-print materials, vetting of teaching and learning materials, procurement, and distribution of materials to school.
- Teacher preparation: development of training syllabuses manuals, in servicing of teachers and field officers on the new curriculum.
- Pre-testing/Piloting in sample schools- monitoring and supervision of the curriculum implementation, correction of curriculum and curriculum support materials.
- National Implementation- monitoring, supervision, and evaluation of the curriculum
- Revision, review of curriculum: syllabus revision process, subject panel, course panel and academic board.
14. What is the difference between curriculum and syllabus?
Curriculum: is a broad overview of the studied courses.
Syllabus: it gives a brief overview of the course objectives, expectations, reading list, assignments etc. it’s a detailed specification of objectives and content within a defined field of study. its derived from the curriculum and shows what’s to be learned within a specified period of time.
15. Give cases of interdiction where a teacher earns half salary.
Incitement, insubordination, infamous conduct, and negligence of duty.
16. How many days in a year is a permanent and pensionable teacher entitled to annual leave?
Maximum of thirty days.
17. What are the possible verdicts of interdiction?
From the evidence gathered the commission may;
Revoke the interdiction
Warn the teacher
Suspend the teacher from duty
Dismiss the teacher from service
Retire the teacher in the public interest
Dismiss and remove from the register
18. Differentiate between interdiction and suspension.
Interdiction– temporary prohibition of a teacher from exercising the powers and functions of the teachers’ office pending determination of the teachers disciplinary case.
Suspension– the removal of a teacher from duty after determination of a disciplinary case.
19. What are the interdiction cases where a teacher does not earn any money?
Chronic absenteeism, desertion of duty, refusal to go on transfer, having been jailed or held in legal custody, misappropriation or mismanagement of funds, forgery, fraudulent claims and receipts of funds, use of false certificates, impersonation or collusion and not of good moral conduct.
20. Name the different types of leave a teacher is entitled to.
Annual leave– max of 30 days during school holidays. apply to head of institution.
Sick leave– max 3 months with full pay, further 3 months with half-pay
Compassionate leave– time off duty to commiserate with immediate or expanded family in times of distress. Granted for max of 15 days in any one calendar year.
Special leave– granted to those traveling abroad to participate in seminars or short courses, important events etc.
Maternity leave– granted to female teachers up to a max of 90 days excluding school holidays., on account of confinement,
Study leave– granted with or without pay to those who have taught for atleast 5 years.
Paternity leave– granted to male teachers up to a max of 10 days during the period of spouse’s maternity leave.
What is CBE? How is it calculated?
CBE stands for Curriculum Based Establishment. It shows the staffing requirements of an educational institution.
- Divide the total lessons for each subject by ‘27’ to get the number of required teachers per subject.
- Sum the shortfalls for principal, deputy principal and H.O. D’s and divide it with ‘27’
- Sum the results in (i) and (ii) above to get the total number of teachers required by the school.
- Get the difference between the value in (iii) and the actual number of teachers in the school to get the under/over staffing levels.
