Teachers will now have to act first before being given management mandate in their schools.

This revelation was revealed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia in its report it published and released this month.

The Commission is considering making it mandatory for teachers to act before their confirmation to administrator position.

This means, if adopted, acting requirement will supersede any other qualification the teacher holds during job application and promotion interviews.

However teachers will have to act for a minimum period of three years before being considered. Also the teachers will have to be qualified for the position they are acting.

Promotion for teachers in ASAL and Hard to staff areas will remain to be on affirmative action.

TSC through circular number 14/2021 said promotions of teachers shall be in accordance with the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) in force.

The Commission further said teachers serving in ASAL and hard to staff areas and are holding administrative positions in an acting capacity shall be promoted progressively until they obtain grades commensurate to their respective positions.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has for a long time accused the TSC of failing to confirm teachers who work in acting administrative positions for a long time.

Mr Omboko Milemba, the national chairman of the Kuppet, said that the current career progression guidelines make it difficult for classroom teachers to get promotions unless they are in administrative positions.

Teachers in acting capacities he said are owed Sh1 billion, claiming it stagnates their careers.

Milemba said this amounts to bills for services rendered but not paid for, adding that the union is undertaking research to quantify the amount owed to such teachers.

“This is a pending bill that’s not quantified. This is an exploitation of labour by the TSC and the government. I’ve put a question in Parliament but I’m doing research with my office staff to back the numbers. It’s become impossible to be promoted unless you’re in administration,” said Mr Milemba, who is also the MP for Emuhaya constituency. He said the most affected are teachers in grades C3 and C4.

In December last year Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera also raised concern after it emerged that TSC failed to promote teachers in acting capacity where majority were deputy headteachers.

When TSC board chair Jamleck Muturi and head of legal Calvin Anyuor appeared before Parliament they clarified that teachers in acting positions will be given the first consideration during hthis years’ teacher promotions.

They told lawmakers they had made deliberate efforts to ensure deputy headteachers who have been acting as headteachers will be the first to get promoted.

The duo said some deputies had not been promoted because they had not met the requirements of moving to the next positions.

“We are going to ensure that the teachers get first priority. However, it cannot happen automatically because after the job evaluation criteria were done, schools were categorised from national, extra-county and sub-counties and the same were given grades and therefore, these grades must be met,” Anyuor said.

Teachers will now have to act first before being given management mandate in their schools.

This revelation was revealed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Nancy Macharia in its report it published and released this month.

The Commission is considering making it mandatory for teachers to act before their confirmation to administrator position.

This means, if adopted, acting requirement will supersede any other qualification the teacher holds during job application and promotion interviews.

However teachers will have to act for a minimum period of three years before being considered. Also the teachers will have to be qualified for the position they are acting.

Promotion for teachers in ASAL and Hard to staff areas will remain to be on affirmative action.

TSC through circular number 14/2021 said promotions of teachers shall be in accordance with the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) in force.

The Commission further said teachers serving in ASAL and hard to staff areas and are holding administrative positions in an acting capacity shall be promoted progressively until they obtain grades commensurate to their respective positions.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has for a long time accused the TSC of failing to confirm teachers who work in acting administrative positions for a long time.

Mr Omboko Milemba, the national chairman of the Kuppet, said that the current career progression guidelines make it difficult for classroom teachers to get promotions unless they are in administrative positions.

Teachers in acting capacities he said are owed Sh1 billion, claiming it stagnates their careers.

Milemba said this amounts to bills for services rendered but not paid for, adding that the union is undertaking research to quantify the amount owed to such teachers.

“This is a pending bill that’s not quantified. This is an exploitation of labour by the TSC and the government. I’ve put a question in Parliament but I’m doing research with my office staff to back the numbers. It’s become impossible to be promoted unless you’re in administration,” said Mr Milemba, who is also the MP for Emuhaya constituency. He said the most affected are teachers in grades C3 and C4.

In December last year Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera also raised concern after it emerged that TSC failed to promote teachers in acting capacity where majority were deputy headteachers.

When TSC board chair Jamleck Muturi and head of legal Calvin Anyuor appeared before Parliament they clarified that teachers in acting positions will be given the first consideration during hthis years’ teacher promotions.

They told lawmakers they had made deliberate efforts to ensure deputy headteachers who have been acting as headteachers will be the first to get promoted.

The duo said some deputies had not been promoted because they had not met the requirements of moving to the next positions.

“We are going to ensure that the teachers get first priority. However, it cannot happen automatically because after the job evaluation criteria were done, schools were categorised from national, extra-county and sub-counties and the same were given grades and therefore, these grades must be met,” Anyuor said.