The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is under pressure to fill over 15,000 vacant schools with Principals and Headteachers.
Shockingly about the same number is set to retire by the end of December this year. Many schools are also in dire need of Deputy Principals, Deputy Headteachers, Senior Teachers and Senior Masters.
However for the Commission this problem is self inflicting. This is because TSC has made it more difficult for teachers to ascend to school administrator position.
After adopting the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) and doing away with Schemes of Service (SoS), its now not easy for a classroom teacher to be a school administrator.
Teachers unions, Knut and Kuppet are now calling on the Commission to lower requirements for teachers to be administrators.
Just recently the teachers’ employer has for the third time asked teachers to apply for senior school management positions.
TSC chief executive Dr Nancy Macharia said it has failed to attract the righty persons to fill the slots in two successive advertisements.
The first and second call for applications was done in January and March this year.
The move now puts on spot light why teachers are not rushing to occupy the positions of deputy principals, principals and chief principals.
It is widely expected that the perks that come with the top positions would easily elicit a scramble for the slots.
However, in a fresh advertisement, TSC still pleads with qualified teachers to fill some 1,001 slots within the next seven days.
Of these are eight principals and six deputy Principals both in Special Needs Education (SNE) schools as well as 987 Deputy Head-teachers in regular primary schools.
Dr Macharia has opened a window one more time for interested teachers to submit their applications between June 9 -15.
‘‘The Commission strives to ensure that teachers are promoted as a means to recognize and reward teachers’ effort and performance, align them for succession management/career progression and to motivate them to perform better in their duties and responsibilities,’’ Dr Macharia said.
In January this year, TSC advertised for promotion positions that would see 14,738 teachers promoted to fill vacant Schools and Institutions and others which had teachers in acting positions.
However, TSC said even with several requests to fill the positions, thousands of schools remain without heads of institutions and deputy heads of institutions for failure by teachers to apply for advertised positions.
‘‘The Commission also has a responsibility to provide Institutional Administrators for public educational institutions for effective management of public schools,’’ Dr Macharia added.
Among the affected schools are special needs public schools with special needs and disabilities learners.
Teachers’ employer had advertised positions for Chief Principals, Principals, Deputy Principals, Deputy Principals, Head-Teachers, Deputy Head-teachers, Senior Masters, Senior Teachers positions.
Of these were four teachers as chief principals, eight principals, and 15 deputy principals all in SNE schools.
Additional TSC wanted 7, 720 deputy head teachers to take over in regular primary schools bringing the number to 7, 747 teachers.
However, only 5, 155 teachers were filled leaving a gap of 2,592 vacancies.
“So far no single teacher has applied to be chief principal, only one has gone for principal, two as deputy principals in SNE schools while 5,152 for deputy head teachers were recruited in regular primary schools,” said Dr Macharia.
Two months later TSC re-advertised the positions apart from the four for chief principals.
In return the commission received 1,591 applications including Seven principals, three deputy principals all in SNE schools.
1,581 teachers made a stab at deputy head teachers positions for regular primary schools.
Many applied and we’re not shortlisted.
???.
Kindly reorganize your promotion criteria.its very descriminative in nature.The Diploma teachers job group c2 have stagnated there for more than seven years now.This hinders them from applying and many other benefits.When you talk of atleast 3 years in a similar grade,will these C2 teachers be paid arrears for all those years of stagnation!
All people are the same please,may we award them what they deserve.
What about teachers who were were interviewed in November 2021??
I applied in January, tried again in March and I’ve finished applying once more right now.
Each time it’s the same response; My Grade of Senior Teacher 2a is not eligible – I have a Diploma in SNE (2010).
I was redesigned to this Grade in 2017, with the advent of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG’s), from Job Group K (since 2015) under Schemes of Service.
I feel that the TSC is not being fair to lock us out of administrative promotions and yet it has kept us stuck in the same grade for almost 8 years now.
We’ve never been moved to the next grade after 3 years as stated in the CPG’s. How else are we going to progress in this our ‘noble’ career?
That’s why I’m applying for promotion for the third time this year in vain – outcome: Grade required is Senior teacher 1.😭😭😭
Let TSC allow teachers from Job group C1 apply for the administrative positions.The criteria for only senior teacher 1 to apply should be discarded.TSC hear the plead of many classroom teachers stagnating in job group C1.
PLEASE TSC allow teachers from Job group C1 apply for the administrative positions.The criteria for only senior teacher 1 to apply should be discarded.TSC hear the plead of many classroom teachers stagnating in job group C1.
It’s like thonde who did diploma in ecd were forgotten completely.t.s.c wamesahau classroom teachers kabsa but tunaomba Mungu siku Mika tukumbukwe kazi yetu isiende bure
Teachers in C2 they don’t get any increments they have been discriminated by tsc the promotion is only for high grades while we are suffering there class room teachers work tirelessly but never recognized tsc is very unfair may God intervene they cannot apply for administrative post surely God don’t forget us. We have suffered a lot for many years tsc can you consider this teachers if you are humans.
Am also Senior teacher11 but can’t apply for deputy headteacher’s position.and have stagnated there since 2017.yhings are not adding up
TSC is just joking about the advertisement it is making
C2a is a coursed grade to have in TSC. Infact, a very deliberate,international ,well designed and systemic structure put in place by TSC officials to discriminate teachers. Is it wrong to study? Is it wrong to advance in career? These C2a teachers got their promotions on merit. With the 1.5housing tax in the offing, no salary adjustments ; imagine what these teachers will go through despite 7 yeast of waiting. TSC is contradicting its own policy on appointment. 7yrs is not 3 yes. Its no longer painful. We shall overcome.
P1 changed to C1 and C1 to C2 with salary adjustments. But the K changed to C2a without any increments now for 7 years. Discriminated to the core!
It is like classroom teacher isnot recognized by tsc, reach administrative position to be counted .
Senior teacher 11a are totally forgotten.please tsc be serious and do something.since 2017 is not a joke.why do upgrade lower grades and upper grades and skip C2?you are very descriminative.
C2 teachers should be considered for promotion