The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has called on members of parliament (MPs) to step up and allocate enough budget for promotion of teachers.

Speaking yesterday when she appeared before the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) chaired by Hon. Eric Karemba (Runyenjes), TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia told the lawmakers that the Commission is unable to promote sufficient number of teachers due to inadequate funding.

She was presenting a report on the Commission’s progress in fulfilling its constitutional mandate and the challenges hindering effective service deliver

Macharia warned of a looming education crisis occasioned by inadequate budgetary allocation for the promotion and deployment of teachers across the country.

Dr. Macharia noted that although the government currently allocates sh.1 billion annually for teacher promotions, the amount is insufficient to cater to the growing number of eligible teachers.

“Honourable Members, while we are grateful for the Kshs.1 billion allocated towards teacher promotions, the amount is only sufficient to promote 6,000 teachers out of a teaching force of over 500,000. This continues to demoralize deserving teachers and affect service delivery in our schools,” Dr. Macharia stated.

Macharia said TSC needs sh5 billion annually to promote teachers and effectively avoid stagnation

She was responding after the lawmakers raised concerns on teacher promotion challenges.

The Commission has been receiving a budget of sh 1 billion each year for promoting teachers which Macharia termed as a drop in the ocean.

“With only one billion shillings, we can promote just 6,000 teachers. We need five billion annually to fully address stagnation,” said Macharia.

In 2024 TSC promoted a total of 19,943 after it was allocated sh 1 billion in 2023 – 2024 financial budget.

Last week TSC listed 25,252 teachers who were successfully promoted for this year after attending interviews in January and February.

The teachers will be issued with appointment letters at the end of this month before being posted to schools with vacancies.

MPs pressed further on the issue of equity in promotions and the unclear criteria used with reports of some constituencies receiving as few as five promotions.

“We had only five teachers promoted out of 25,000. If divided equally across the 290 constituencies, we should have gotten at least 80,” argued Tiaty MP William Kamket.

Despite the grilling, the Commission said it continues to work within its constraints and remains committed to improving teacher welfare across the country.

The TSC says the promotion bottleneck, staffing imbalance, and health insurance hurdles all stem from inadequate funding and called on Parliament to review policies to allow for more sustainable planning.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has called on members of parliament (MPs) to step up and allocate enough budget for promotion of teachers.

Speaking yesterday when she appeared before the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) chaired by Hon. Eric Karemba (Runyenjes), TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia told the lawmakers that the Commission is unable to promote sufficient number of teachers due to inadequate funding.

She was presenting a report on the Commission’s progress in fulfilling its constitutional mandate and the challenges hindering effective service deliver

Macharia warned of a looming education crisis occasioned by inadequate budgetary allocation for the promotion and deployment of teachers across the country.

Dr. Macharia noted that although the government currently allocates sh.1 billion annually for teacher promotions, the amount is insufficient to cater to the growing number of eligible teachers.

“Honourable Members, while we are grateful for the Kshs.1 billion allocated towards teacher promotions, the amount is only sufficient to promote 6,000 teachers out of a teaching force of over 500,000. This continues to demoralize deserving teachers and affect service delivery in our schools,” Dr. Macharia stated.

Macharia said TSC needs sh5 billion annually to promote teachers and effectively avoid stagnation

She was responding after the lawmakers raised concerns on teacher promotion challenges.

The Commission has been receiving a budget of sh 1 billion each year for promoting teachers which Macharia termed as a drop in the ocean.

“With only one billion shillings, we can promote just 6,000 teachers. We need five billion annually to fully address stagnation,” said Macharia.

In 2024 TSC promoted a total of 19,943 after it was allocated sh 1 billion in 2023 – 2024 financial budget.

Last week TSC listed 25,252 teachers who were successfully promoted for this year after attending interviews in January and February.

The teachers will be issued with appointment letters at the end of this month before being posted to schools with vacancies.

MPs pressed further on the issue of equity in promotions and the unclear criteria used with reports of some constituencies receiving as few as five promotions.

“We had only five teachers promoted out of 25,000. If divided equally across the 290 constituencies, we should have gotten at least 80,” argued Tiaty MP William Kamket.

Despite the grilling, the Commission said it continues to work within its constraints and remains committed to improving teacher welfare across the country.

The TSC says the promotion bottleneck, staffing imbalance, and health insurance hurdles all stem from inadequate funding and called on Parliament to review policies to allow for more sustainable planning.