Kenyan teachers’ staffing authority the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has launched a new SMS service to enable teachers across the country to access employer services remotely.
The TSC headquarters reportedly receives over 7,000 requests from teachers each month on work-related issues. With the launch of the new system, the TSC hopes this number will be significantly reduced while at the same time save teachers the expenses that come with travelling to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where its headquarters are located.
TSC chief executive Gabriel Lengoiboni said that the system will allow the commission to send information to teachers regarding changes and developments it has achieved, thereby bringing efficient communication between it and the teachers.
"The commission has put in place relevant infrastructure, which includes provision of enough computers to ensure that the strategy is well implemented," Lengoiboni said.
Aside from the updates, teachers can now make inquiries through their mobile phones by sending a short message using their TSC number as the key identifier.
For inquiries, teachers are advised to send the word “TSC” followed by their number and the query to the commission to the number 5556. Afterwards, TSC will send a response SMS stating the queries would be attended to in 24 hours, or a period not exceeding 7 days.
Lately, TSC has been integrating technology in its service delivery to its over 240,000 teachers, with the government looking to hire 18,000 more to curb the teacher shortage in the country. This is seen as the main reason behind the commission’s move to automate some of its service delivery processes.
The TSC headquarters reportedly receives over 7,000 requests from teachers each month on work-related issues. With the launch of the new system, the TSC hopes this number will be significantly reduced while at the same time save teachers the expenses that come with travelling to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where its headquarters are located.
TSC chief executive Gabriel Lengoiboni said that the system will allow the commission to send information to teachers regarding changes and developments it has achieved, thereby bringing efficient communication between it and the teachers.
"The commission has put in place relevant infrastructure, which includes provision of enough computers to ensure that the strategy is well implemented," Lengoiboni said.
Aside from the updates, teachers can now make inquiries through their mobile phones by sending a short message using their TSC number as the key identifier.
For inquiries, teachers are advised to send the word “TSC” followed by their number and the query to the commission to the number 5556. Afterwards, TSC will send a response SMS stating the queries would be attended to in 24 hours, or a period not exceeding 7 days.
Lately, TSC has been integrating technology in its service delivery to its over 240,000 teachers, with the government looking to hire 18,000 more to curb the teacher shortage in the country. This is seen as the main reason behind the commission’s move to automate some of its service delivery processes.
