The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) began interviews for the promotion of 2,419 teachers in both primary and secondary schools.
Shortlisted teachers for the promotion of 2,419 teachers will be interviewed between 1st to 12th November 2021 at the Regional and County Offices. The interviews will start from Job Grade C2 (TSC Scale 7 Senior Teacher 2) to Grade D5 (TSC Scale 15 Chief Principal).
A total of 1,376 teachers are in positions of Heads and Deputy Heads of Institutions in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) and areas that are hard to staff areas and are seeking to be promoted. The tutors will then be promoted to be either deputy heads or heads of institutions in arid and semi-arid lands and hard to staff regions.
The promotions vacancies will mainly comprise of positions of principals, deputy principals, headteachers, deputy headteachers and senior teachers.
According to the TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia, the promotions will be done on affirmative action in a bid to grow teachers gradually to reach the grades for the positions they are holding.
The promotions will be done following the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) which will be done gradually.
“The promotions will be done based on affirmative action to grow teachers progressively,” said TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia.
Intern interviews for 1,995 slots will also be done this month. 1,038 slots have been allocated to primary schools while 957 slots have been allocated to secondary schools.
In the last year, TSC has promoted more than one hundred thousand (100,000) teachers following the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which expired on the 30th of June. Out of this, 15,407 teachers, were interviewed in December 2020 and February 2021.
The other 99,078 teachers were promoted in line with the established common cadre. 712 teachers and institutional administrators in 10 ASAL regions were also promoted under affirmative action.
In a year, 115,197 classroom teachers, senior teachers, deputy headteachers, headteachers, curriculum developers, deputy principals and principals have been promoted.
“The CBA gave all cadres of teachers a common promotion in the entry grades after they have served for three years,” reads a TSC notice.
Other promotions that were done are those of P1 teachers in job grade B5 who were promoted to job grade C1 while diploma certificate holders in job grade C1 were promoted to job grade C2.
Degree certificate holders who were in Job group C2 were also promoted to job grade C3.
“The promotions are a significant stride in contrast to the past where P1 teachers were employed and then retired without being promoted to their current Grade,” said the Commission.
The Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) stipulates that a teacher must have served in their current job groups/grades for three years.
TSC has revealed that teachers in ASAL regions who are holding the posts have been serving in acting capacity for more than three years.
Schools in insecure areas have been experiencing a sharp shortage as teachers have feared for their lives and have even applied for transfers a short while after being posted in those schools.
Junior secondary schools have also necessitated the moving of teachers from primary to secondary school with a massive double intake looming.
Serving interns will also benefit from the Commission’s plan to extend their stay in the service with their one-year term ending this December.
Following the interviews, the number of interns will rise to 6,000. TSC has revealed that the recruitment of interns is intended to reduce the acute shortage of teachers experienced in schools across the country, with areas that are hard to staff experiencing an even more shortage of teachers.
A TSC intern takes home Sh 20,000 for secondary schools while their primary school counterparts earn Sh. 15,000.