Teachers countrywide are gripped in fear after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) lowered the requirements for promotion of school administrators.
Teachers are afraid that the upcoming promotion interviews will not be fair after the Commission set the minimum period for acting in administration position to be six months.
Previously teachers were required to have acted for at least eight years, TSC then lowered this to three years during last years promotion interviews.
The Commission has now lowered this further to six months in the recent promotion advert it released.
Teachers have raised concern that this will open doors for corruption as it will be used to lock out more deserving teachers who have served for long period in their current position.
However TSC has been defending this move saying its a reaction to a new law that requires one to serve in acting capacity for a maximum of six months after which they must be confirmed or compensated with a special allowance.
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu expressed concern that many educators have served in acting capacities for periods far exceeding the legally stipulated six months.
“We have school heads and deputies who have been acting for over three years. These individuals must be prioritised,” said Oyuu.
Initially TSC had proposed special duty allowances for acting school heads and deputies as compensation for their additional responsibilities.
In January, the commission informed Parliament’s Education Committee that negotiations with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) were complete and budgetary provisions for the allowance were being explored.
However, the new development prioritises substantive appointments over allowances.
While appearing before Parliament, TSC chief executive Dr Nancy Macharia attributed the reliance on acting school heads to a shortage of qualified teachers for leadership positions.
“Teachers are only deployed on acting capacity where the commission lacks qualified teachers with the requisite grade and experience for substantive appointment,” said Macharia.
She said the government has been establishing new schools but does not provide a budget for the promotion of teachers to head the new schools, thus the commission is forced to rely on acting administrators.
TSC is now planning to confirm deputy headteachers of primary schools and deputy principals of secondary schools as well as their seniors who have acted as heads of institutions (HOI’s) and deputies for at least six months.
The Commission had on 17th December declared a total of 19,943 promotion slots for teachers to apply online.
TSC has invited teachers from primary to post primary institutions to apply online for the promotion vacancies.
TSC has given qualified teachers till the midnight of 30th December, 2024 to place an application.
TSC data shows at least 3,300 school heads and deputies are currently serving in acting capacities.
The commission plans to confirm the teachers and place them to their new roles starting January. This is after it was allocated sh1 billion for teacher promotions.
At least 3,359 public schools are lacking a head of institution. Data from TSC show that 1,918 primary schools lack a headteacher while 1,441 secondary schools lack a principal.
TSC blames shortage of teachers qualified to head schools as well as many new schools registered that creates more complication.
This favours those in small schools; not easy to have a big school like Alliance having acting principal. Only small schools where demand for principal is lowest, that is where a deputy will act for long. Those in extra county schools and National schools will not succeed if that’s what the commission will consider. How I wish they went for age to care of those who have stagnated. We will have a situation where one becomes a deputy for 3 months then acts for 2 years by design and becomes a principal at 40 years and leaving a teacher who worked tirelessly in a large institution for 7 years just because this teacher has not gotten opportunity to act.
The question of acting is by an official letter from tsc or a verbal self-positioning?
These teachers have given service to the children of this Nation without pay. This sacrifice should be rewarded.
Some of the schools will never have acting deputies,this does not mean the teachers in that school cannot be deputies and principals
At the same time delayed promotions make us be where we are
Opportunity to act as a deputy or a principal only happens by chance. It should not be the only qualification for promotion. Many administrators have served in substantive positions for longer periods , some over ten years. Real stagnation. Such should be considered first . Real merit should count
To act only comes by chance and only favours the teacher of that institution where an opportunity arises. However some administrators have served in substantive positions for longer periods, some over ten years. Real stagnation has been here. I appeal to TSC to be very fair and consider merit starting with those who have really stagnated even though they may not be acting.
Hii kazi ya ualimu wengi wamechoka. Ni kazi ya Waanamutheri
Some heads of institution make internal appointments through biasness and nepotism. Some even deny some genders who rightfully qualify to serve in those capacities in terms of qualification, experience and seniority. All teachers can not act at the same time. It will be unfair for TSC to use acting aspect as a merit for promotion.
There is no need to adveryise for the aforementioned positions. Why hange gosl posts now and then. Some of these deputies are more qualified than their counterparts in the six months connundrum.
We shall soon be angling for schools in hardship areas where non is angling to go so that we gft the positions.
I suppose TSC, do away with the apllications and leave the fight to the fittest in …. This Kenya that we know so that some of us to get disdillusioned and forget about those positions. How do you expect a S cc hool deputy who he as either Bachelors or Masters to co exist with a certificate partner whose only qualification was acting in a remote area without allure to co , -exist with either a achelors / masters / Dude to co-habit together.
Lets be pragmagtic. P
Why should they advertise after all they had their own persons known for the posts
Some of us been acting for more than 2 years. I am not yet convinced that tsc will openly/transparently confirm us or promote us to the next job group. Am yet to see this because this job progression thing in tsc sucks.
Some of us been acting for more than 2 years. I am not yet convinced that tsc will openly/transparently confirm us or promote us to the next job group. Am yet to see this because this job progression thing in tsc sucks.
The teacher in acting position has served the nation for free