TSC teachers to get ready for 19,000 promotion positions.
According to Dr. Nancy Macharia, CEO of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), at least 19,000 promotion openings will be posted for classroom teachers to apply for.
Macharia urged educators to apply as soon as the advertisement is released during his remarks at the 64th Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) held at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa today.
Ms. Macharia advised educators to keep an eye out for the advertisement in two weeks, which will list an additional 19,000 openings.
Knut officials, led by Secretary General Collins Oyuu, were present. Among those in attendance were Kenya Primary School Heads Association (Kepsha) President Johnson Nzioka, Knut National Treasurer Muuo Ndiku, Knut First National Vice Chairman Malel Lagat, Knut Second National Vice Chairman Aggrey Namisi, and Knut Chairman Patrick Karinga.
More than 2,000 representatives from the 110 Knut branches around the nation attended the event, which also saw Moses Masika elected to the position of National Executive Council (NEC) for the Western Region.
Masika is currently the Regional Secretary for Bungoma County and the Executive Secretary for the Bungoma West branch.
School administrators were the target of 5,690 promotion positions that TSC has so far marketed.
Those who fulfilled the necessary requirements applied online by the deadline of November 18, 2024.
The successful candidates will need to attend interviews for promotions after the Commission shortlists them.
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 made a suggestion that senior personnel who have served as heads of institutions (HOIs) and deputies for at least six months, together with deputy headteachers and deputy principals of primary and secondary schools, would be confirmed and promoted to their new roles.
At least 3,300 school heads and deputies are currently acting in their roles, according to TSC data.
Beginning in January, the commission intends to verify the teachers and assign them to their new positions. This comes after Sh1 billion was set aside for teacher advancements.
A head of institution (HOI) is absent from at least 3,359 public schools. According to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) data, 1,441 secondary schools and 1,918 elementary schools are without a principal or head teacher.
TSC attributes the increased complexity caused by the large number of newly registered schools and the lack of teachers qualified to lead schools.
Nonetheless, TSC intends to use the Sh1 billion that the government has set aside for teacher advancement in order to fill important administrative positions in elementary and secondary schools.
Following years of union pressure for more financing through Parliament to address the stagnation of teachers in the same job categories, this decision was made.
Many educators have worked in acting capacities for far longer than the legally required six months, which has alarmed Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu.
“We have deputies and school heads who have been in their positions for more than three years. Priority must be given to these people,” Oyuu stated.
The strategy aims to overcome a leadership problem in 3,359 schools and was decided upon after a week-long meeting between TSC and KNUT in Naivasha.
In order to compensate acting school heads and deputies for their extra duties, the TSC first suggested specific duty allowances.
The commission notified the Education Committee of Parliament in January that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had concluded talks and that budgetary provisions for the allowance were being investigated.
The recent change, however, gives substantive appointments precedence over allowances.
TSC chief executive Dr. Nancy Macharia blamed the use of acting school heads on a lack of qualified teachers for leadership roles during her appearance before Parliament.
“When the commission does not have enough qualified teachers with the necessary grade and experience for substantive appointment, teachers are only deployed on an acting basis,” Macharia stated.
According to her, the commission is compelled to rely on interim administrators because the government has been opening new schools but has not allocated funds for the promotion of instructors to lead the new institutions.
Union officials contend that strict criteria included in the 2017 Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) are the reason behind the stall in teacher promotions.
Omboko Milemba, the chairman of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), criticized the standards, saying they were a major barrier to professional progression.
“Many seasoned educators have been forced to wait years for changes in their job groups because of these regulations, which have prevented them from being eligible for deputy headteacher positions,” Milemba stated.
Oyuu of KNUT reiterated these worries, pointing to several cases in which positions as deputy headteachers were frequently posted without drawing in enough candidates.
“We currently have thousands of experienced teachers who became senior teachers by 2017, but they are not yet qualified to become deputy headteachers and have to wait three years to be placed in a job group that aligns with the deputy headteacher role,” Oyuu stated.
TSC teachers to get ready for 19,000 promotion positions.
, at least 19,000 promotion openings){kind=link}