TSC to advertise 19,000 promotion slots for teachers who missed, says Nancy Macharia.
TSC to advertise 19,000 promotion slots for teachers who missed, says Nancy Macharia.
Classroom teachers will be able to apply for at least 19,000 promotion opportunities, according to Dr. Nancy Macharia, CEO of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
At the 64th Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) held today at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa, Macharia urged educators to submit applications as soon as the advertisement is released.
Teachers should keep an eye out for the advertisement in two weeks, when 19,000 more positions will be posted, according to Ms. Macharia.
Knut officials were there, including Collins Oyuu, the organization’s secretary general. Knut national treasurer Muuo Ndiku, Kenya Primary School Heads Association (Kepsha) president Johnson Nzioka, Knut first national vice chairman Malel Lagat, Knut second national vice chairman Aggrey Namisi, and Knut chairman Patrick Karinga were also in attendance.
Moses Masika was elected the National Executive Council (NEC) for the Western Region, and more than 2,000 delegates from the 110 Knut branches around the nation attended the event.
As the Regional Secretary for Bungoma County, Masika is currently the Executive Secretary for the Bungoma West branch.
Up until now, TSC has targeted school administrators with 5,690 promotion spots.
Individuals that fulfilled the necessary requirements filed their online applications by the deadline of November 18, 2024.
The Commission is yet to shortlist the successful applicants who will then be required to attend promotion interviews.
VACANCIES FOR PRINCIPALS, DEPUTY PRINCIPALS, HEADTEACHERS AND DEPUTY HEADTEACHERS
| S/No | Advert No. | Advert Name | T-Scale | Grade | Posts |
| 1. | 01/2024 | Principal (Post Primary) | 13 | D3 | 755 |
| 2. | 02/2024 | Deputy Principal III (Post Primary) | 11 | D1 | 816 |
| 3. | 03/2024 | Head-Teacher (Primary) | 10 | C5 | 1,208 |
| 4. | 04/2024 | Deputy Head-Teacher II (Primary) | 9 | C4 | 2,911 |
| TOTAL | 5,690 |
TSC revealed that senior members of their staff who have served as heads of institutions (HOIs) and deputies for at least six months will be confirmed and elevated to their new roles, along with deputy headteachers of primary schools and deputy principals of secondary schools.
According to TSC data, there are presently at least 3,300 acting school heads and deputies in office.
Beginning in January, the commission intends to appoint the teachers to their new positions and confirm them. Following the allocation of Sh1 billion for teacher promotions, this has happened.
There is a head of institution (HOI) shortage in at least 3,359 public schools. 1,441 secondary schools and 1,918 primary schools, according to data from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), are without a principal or head teacher.
The lack of trained teachers to lead schools and the large number of newly registered schools are cited by TSC as contributing factors to the complexity.
To fill important administrative positions in primary and secondary schools, TSC intends to use the Sh1 billion the government has set aside for teacher advancement.
In order to solve the stagnation of teachers in the same job groups, unions have been asking Parliament for more financing, and this decision comes after their relentless efforts.
Collins Oyuu, the secretary-general of Knut, voiced concern that many educators have been in acting roles for much longer than the six months required by law.
School heads and deputies who have been in their positions for more than three years are among us. These people ought to be given priority,” Oyuu stated.
TSC and KNUT decided on the proposal during a week-long meeting in Naivasha, which aims to overcome a leadership problem in 3,359 schools.
As recompense for their extra duties, the TSC had first suggested special duty allowances for acting school heads and deputies.
After concluding negotiations with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), the commission notified Parliament’s Education Committee in January that budgetary provisions for the allowance were being investigated.
But the latest move puts meaningful appointments ahead of allowances.
In a statement before Parliament, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia blamed the use of interim school heads on a lack of capable educators for positions of authority.
Macharia stated, “Teachers are only used in an acting capacity when the commission is unable to find enough qualified teachers with the necessary grade and experience for substantive appointment.”
She claimed that because the government has been opening new schools without funding the advancement of teachers to lead them, the commission is compelled to rely on temporary administrators.
Rigid criteria included in the 2017 Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) are cited by union officials as the reason for the stall in teacher promotions. The guidelines were criticized by Omboko Milemba, the chairman of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), as a major barrier to professional advancement.
“Many experienced teachers have been forced to wait years for job group changes because of these rules, which have prevented them from qualifying for deputy headteacher roles,” Milemba said.
These worries were mirrored by KNUT’s Oyuu, who gave several examples of how deputy headteacher positions were regularly posted without drawing in enough candidates.
According to Oyuu, “there are thousands of experienced teachers who became senior teachers by 2017 but who are currently not eligible to become deputy headteachers and have to wait three years to move to a job group that corresponds with the role of a deputy headteacher.”
TSC to advertise 19,000 promotion slots for teachers who missed, says Nancy Macharia.
