The TSC asserts that the 25,000 teachers’ promotions, which Parliament rejected, were carried out fairly and openly.
Key facts:
-The committee on education of Parliament dismissed the promotion list, claiming that it was not conducted fairly.
Kuppet’s acting secretary general, Moses Nthurima, called for fair and open teacher promotions.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) continues to assert that the recent promotion of 25,000 teachers, which Parliament rejected, was carried out in a fair and transparent manner.
TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia spoke publicly for the first time about the issue, expressing her hope that it will be amicably settled soon so that deserving instructors may begin to enjoy their new roles. The National Assembly’s Committee on Education rejected the promotion list, claiming that it was not conducted impartially and that some deserving instructors were overlooked.
Ms. Macharia, whose 10-year term concludes on June 30, 2025, stated that she has implemented numerous reforms throughout the years, many of which have enhanced the educational system. She mentioned the promotion of 25,000 teachers of all cadres as an example, which is currently drawing a lot of attention.
She was addressing the Kenya National Schools Principals Forum in Mombasa.
“Even before we could declare the interview results, your own trade unions and Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association were incensed about the promotion criteria,” Ms. Macharia stated.
“The majority of you take your work seriously,” explained the TSC head, “and that’s why so many of you have earned well-deserved promotions year after year and have reached the peak of the main rank.”
According to Ms. Macharia, the commission has served the country well by directing national schools in Kenya for the past ten years that she has held the top position in overseeing teachers as the commission’s CEO.
Ms. Macharia stated, “In fact, my agreeing to speak with you today, with only two months left in my tenure, is testimony of how high in the pecking order of priorities the 103-member Kenya National Schools Principals Forum lies.”
Moses Nthurima, the acting secretary general of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), called for openness and equity in the promotion of teachers.
“Promotions are based on an individual’s contribution to learners, involvement in co-curricular activities, and the overall atmosphere and development of the students.” “However, what the commission did was distribute positions evenly throughout the counties,” Mr. Nthurima stated.
He mentioned Wajir County, which has 800 teachers, and Kiambu County, which has 11,000 teachers, but said that populous counties with the most stagnated teachers would be excluded since they would receive the same number of promotion slots.
He questioned how the TSC advanced teachers in underserved regions of arid and semi-arid areas who had only worked for six months, while ignoring those who had served for ten years.
He inquired, “Where is the fairness in that?” and noted that the promotions were unclear, with unions oblivious of the criteria employed. He requested that the TSC summon the teachers’ unions for a discussion on the issue.
Mr. Nthurima stated that if the meeting does not take place, they will turn to other means, such as requesting a court injunction or holding protests. Kuppet has written to the TSC requesting a meeting.
“They simply do it and then declare it to be fair without including the union.” How fair is it, then, when teachers are complaining everywhere that they have been excluded for ten years?
According to the Kuppet official, the promotions were political, with more promotion slots allocated to locations where the government believes they can attract more voters.
“Politics currently interfere a lot with teacher management.” “Teachers are in a very unfortunate situation right now, as we’ve witnessed the selling of employment letters in churches and bazaars,” he stated.
Ms. Macharia, on the other hand, rejected allegations that politicians had meddled with the promotions. She stated that she never goes to political gatherings.
“I read these things in newspapers and social media,” you know. “Visit our website to see how teachers are hired,” Ms. Macharia stated.
Ms. Macharia stated that as soon as the Kenya Kwanza government took office, the National Assembly approved a measure allowing the TSC to hire teachers from the county level in order to give everyone an opportunity.
“He emphasized that when the KK administration took office, it decided to hire at the county level to allow everyone an opportunity, have the counties compete among themselves, and get locals and role models from the ASAL areas, which were suffering.