Teachers across the country have a reason to smile after the employer, Teachers Service Commission(TSC), announced a fresh round of promotion targeting 24,000 tutors that will be conducted in two phases.

In the first phase, 5,690 teachers, primarily those in acting capacities as school heads and deputies, will be promoted. TSC has already advertised these positions. The second phase, slated for next year, will see an additional 19,000 teachers promoted.

The announcement was made during this year’s Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Annual Delegates Conference in Mombasa.

“Currently, the commission is processing applications for the 5,690 advertised posts and will shortly advertise another 19,000 vacancies for promotion,” TSC stated.

According to the TSC, between 2018 and 2023, 168,389 teachers were promoted through the Common Cadre system, with an additional 73,902 securing competitive promotions.

The Common Cadre promotion system covers grades B5 and C1 for P1 certificate holders, C1-C2 for diploma teachers, and C2-C3 for graduate teachers.

Educators in these categories are automatically promoted after three years of satisfactory service.

In its presentation, TSC prides itself on having hired 76,000 teachers, including 20,000 interns and 56,000 permanent staff on pensionable terms. 

“These teachers are expected to report to their respective schools in January 2025,” the statement reads.

KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu expressed concern that many teachers have served in acting capacities for periods, 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. 

Data from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms indicates that 1,918 primary schools lack headteachers, while 1,441 secondary schools are without principals.

Initially, the 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.

This comes even as union leaders continue to push for scrapping of the promotion criteria introduced in the 2017 known as Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs). 

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairman Omboko Milemba criticised the guidelines as a significant obstacle to career advancement.

“These rules have left many experienced teachers unable to qualify for deputy headteacher roles, forcing them to wait years for job group changes,” Milemba said.