Teachers of Aga Khan Schools are suffering under the tyranny of an incompetent and oppressive Human Resource Director, Azmina Mulji, who has threatened to sack them if they break for holidays before 21st December 2023.
Mulji, who is the former Head of Human Resource and Administration at Credit Bank, has also installed biometric surveillance systems and online headcount meetings to monitor and control the teachers’ movements.
The teachers are forced to report to school every day from 8 AM till 4 p.m. despite having no lessons or activities going on in school except the KNEC national exams.
This contradicts KNEC regulations, which explicitly prohibit the presence of teachers at schools during the KNEC examination period.
This raises important questions about the authority of Mulji’s instructions in comparison to the established regulations of KNEC.
Is Mulji’s authority considered superior to the Ministry of Education’s regulations?
For those unfamiliar with Azmina Mulji, during her time at Credit Bank, she reportedly compelled social media managers to shower her with endless praise, ostensibly to mask her alleged incompetence and tyranny at the bank.
There is even a 2019 post on Twitter by Credit Bank that lauds her as the goddess of life and death at the bank.
Today we celebrate our Head of Human Resources & Administration,Ms. Azmina Mulji. This amazing lady here oversees all personnel-related matters and ensures we use our resources beneficially.
Thank-you for being pleasant, we appreciate you.#MyFriendMyBank#WednesdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/9tR91pQyVT— Credit Bank PLC (@CreditBankPLC) September 4, 2019
Mulji’s actions are contrary to her social media profile, where she claims to be “passionate about creating happy workspaces and transforming people and their organizations for happiness and success.”
This self-proclaimed Leadership Empowerment Coach and HR consultant touts a master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Nairobi.
However, it is not uncommon for individuals to use impressive academic and professional credentials to create a facade, which can be misleading for corporate employers and individuals who ultimately discover a toxic work environment.
Her authority appears to be so absolute that even headteachers find it challenging to offer input on the welfare of teachers.
“She is treating us like slaves. She listens to nobody and her word is always final,” said one teacher from Kisumu.
“If she calls for an online headcount meeting, it does not matter if you were in church or washroom, you must stop and log in immediately to mark your presence”, he added.
The teachers are hoping that the management of Aga Khan Schools at the global headquarters will hear their plea and remove Mulji from her position, just as they did with the notorious racist former CEO Sukwinder Bassi, who was persecuting them before.
If Azmina Mulji remains in her current position, where her management style appears to be causing more harm than fostering a harmonious work environment, there is a growing concern that Aga Khan Schools may become a toxic environment, potentially further damaging its already declining reputation, reminiscent of the issues that Credit Bank faced.
In light of these challenges, teachers of the once-prestigious group of schools are now contemplating the possibility of seeking employment with the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) during the upcoming recruitment drive for public school teachers.
They hope to escape what they perceive as a subjugating environment created by the authoritarian rule of Azmina Mulji.
