The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has made a significant decision to promote 25,252 educators by waiving the prerequisite that requires teachers to serve a minimum of three years in a single grade prior to advancement.
According to the commission, 5,291 teachers were promoted despite not fulfilling the three-year service requirement. A substantial portion of these promotions involved appointments to principal and deputy headteacher positions, where the pool of qualified candidates was insufficient to meet the demand.
In a statement issued on May 22, the commission noted, “In the recently concluded promotion exercise, the number of teachers who satisfied the three-year requirement in the feeder grades was markedly lower than the number of available vacancies.”
This decision follows the allocation of Sh1 billion by the National Assembly to facilitate promotions, which addressed only 5,690 of the 25,252 vacancies.
The commission reported that 1,410 teachers were elevated to principal positions under Grade D3, while 3,686 were appointed as deputy headteachers under Grade C4. Notably, only 598 teachers had served the requisite duration to qualify for the 1,410 principal vacancies, whereas 7,460 met the criteria for the 3,686 deputy headteacher roles.
To mitigate the shortfall in qualified candidates, the commission temporarily reduced the service requirement to six months in a single grade.
The TSC clarified that this waiver was intended to attract a larger pool of applicants and to address the persistent issue of teachers occupying acting positions. “This policy decision facilitated the competitive filling of vacancies, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where recruitment and retention have posed challenges,” the commission stated.
Among the 5,291 teachers promoted without meeting the three-year requirement, 3,427 were appointed to the critical administrative roles of principal and deputy headteacher. The commission has requested that all teachers promoted under this temporary measure be retained, emphasizing that the waiver was crucial for addressing significant staffing shortages.
Looking forward, the commission plans to develop and disseminate standardized promotion guidelines, which will be informed by public consultation with teachers, unions, and other stakeholders. This new framework will adhere to constitutional principles of equity, inclusiveness, and non-discrimination.
“The commission remains dedicated to ensuring fair and accountable processes in future promotions,” the statement concluded.
There has been considerable contention regarding the promotion criteria employed by the commission, with Members of Parliament expressing strong criticism. However, with the commission’s final determination regarding the promotion process, teachers can now find relief. The promotion letters that have already been prepared will be dispatched to the counties for collection by the successful candidates. The TSC is anticipated to release the final promotions list after removing 1,864 teachers from the initial list and making the necessary replacements.