The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has officially sent out appointment letters, confirming the advancement of 23,388 educators following interviews conducted earlier this year in January and February.
The TSC has efficiently distributed promotion letters across various counties, facilitating the placement of these newly promoted teachers into schools with open positions.
Availability of the promotion letters at various TSC County offices has been confirmed. In Kisii County, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Executive Secretary Joseph Abincha confirmed that the letters were ready for collection.
“We are pleased to inform you that promotion letters are currently being released and will continue to be issued this week and next week. Kindly be on the lookout for official communication.” Abincha said via an official press release.
This significant promotion wave comes after the National Assembly’s Education Committee, led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, approved the TSC’s request to elevate this number of teachers. However, it falls short of the 25,252 teachers the Commission initially aimed to promote.
This initiative was made possible by a Sh1 billion allocation from the National Assembly to support promotions, which unfortunately only addressed 5,690 of the 25,252 vacancies.
Concerns were raised by MPs when it was revealed that 5,291 teachers had been promoted without meeting the minimum three-year service requirement outlined in the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). Accusations of bias and discrimination in the promotion process surfaced, with claims that some junior teachers were advanced while their longer-serving counterparts were overlooked, and that certain regions received a disproportionate number of promotion opportunities.
In a report submitted to the Education Committee on May 27, TSC disclosed that 1,864 teachers had been removed from the initial promotion list published in early April, in line with the Committee’s recommendations. Retired TSC CEO Nancy Macharia explained that these teachers were dropped for not fulfilling the three-year requirement.
“In adherence to the Committee’s guidance, we have removed the 1,864 teachers who did not meet the necessary three-year criteria from the promotion list,” Macharia stated. “The resulting vacancies have been redistributed fairly across the country based on the number of applicants interviewed.”
The TSC is also working on developing new promotion guidelines that will clearly define standardized criteria and procedures to ensure a fair and transparent process moving forward.
Dr. Macharia informed the National Assembly’s Education Committee that this new framework aims to establish an accountable promotion system. This comes in light of the recent promotion of 5,291 teachers who had not served the mandated three years, as per the CPG.
She clarified that the three-year requirement had been relaxed in certain cases to promote equity and address historical staffing issues, including acting appointments and underrepresentation in marginalized areas. An analysis prior to the promotion vacancy announcements revealed a lack of qualified candidates in specific counties.
For example, in the case of Grade D3 (Principal), there were not enough teachers in Grade D2 who had completed the required three years, prompting a nationwide reduction of the experience requirement to just six months. Similarly, for the Deputy Principal III (D1) role, the requirement was waived in 18 counties, including Migori, Narok, Busia, and Mandera.
In response to the MPs’ criticisms regarding perceived bias in the promotion process, the TSC was given a week to provide a detailed report.
Dr. Macharia also announced plans to digitize the promotion process through an online system for teachers, which would streamline applications, shortlisting, interview feedback, and the issuance of promotion letters, thereby reducing human error and enhancing transparency.
Additionally, the Commission has implemented a standardized interview scoring system that takes into account performance appraisals, leadership experience, age, and academic contributions. A new predictable promotion policy now allows for automatic progression for teachers in common cadre grades, provided they meet the three-year service requirement and maintain satisfactory performance.
The TSC has further committed to advancing promotions in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), where many teachers are in lower grades despite taking on administrative roles without appropriate recognition or allowances. The Commission seeks to align these teachers’ grades with their responsibilities through affirmative action initiatives.
In summary, the TSC has successfully promoted 23,388 teachers following interviews held earlier this year.
