TSC has now dispatched all appointment letters, confirms promotions for 23,388 teachers

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued appointment letters and confirmed the promotion of 23,388 teachers following interviews conducted in January and February of this year. All promotion letters have been sent to various counties to facilitate the placement of these promoted teachers in schools.

TSC County and Sub County Directors will begin assigning the promoted teachers to schools with available positions. This decision comes after the National Assembly Committee on Education, led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, approved the promotion of this number of teachers. However, this figure falls short of the 25,252 teachers the Commission aimed to promote based on the interviews.

Availability of the promotion letters at various TSC County offices has been confirmed. In Kisii County, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Executive Secretary Joseph Abincha confirmed that the letters were ready for collection.

“We are pleased to inform you that promotion letters are currently being released and will continue to be issued this week and next week. Kindly be on the lookout for official communication.” Abincha said via an official press release.

The National Assembly allocated Sh1 billion for promotions, which only covered 5,690 of the 25,252 vacancies. Concerns were raised by MPs when it was discovered that 5,291 teachers were promoted without meeting the minimum three-year requirement outlined in the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). The TSC faced accusations of bias and discrimination in the promotion process, including premature promotions and unequal distribution of promotion opportunities among counties.

In a report to the Education Committee on May 27, TSC revealed that 1,864 teachers were removed from the initial promotion list published in April due to not fulfilling the three-year requirement. Retired TSC CEO Nancy Macharia stated that these removals were in line with the Committee’s recommendations, and the resulting vacancies would be redistributed fairly across the country based on the number of applicants interviewed.

TSC is also planning to develop new promotion guidelines that will establish clear and standardized criteria and procedures. Macharia assured the National Assembly Committee on Education that this new framework would promote a fair, transparent, and accountable promotion process.

This announcement follows concerns regarding the promotion of 5,291 teachers who did not meet the mandatory three-year service requirement. Dr. Macharia explained that the three-year rule had been waived in some instances to promote fairness and address historical staffing issues, particularly in marginalized regions. An analysis prior to the promotion vacancies revealed a lack of qualified applicants in certain counties, leading to a reduction in the experience requirement for specific positions.

In response to the criticism from MPs about the promotion process, TSC was given a week to provide a detailed report. Dr. Macharia also mentioned plans to automate the promotion process through an online system, which would streamline applications, shortlisting, feedback, and the issuance of promotion letters, thereby reducing human error and enhancing transparency.

Additionally, TSC has implemented a standardized interview scoring system that takes into account performance appraisals, leadership experience, age, and academic contributions. A new promotion policy allows for automatic progression for teachers in common cadre grades, provided they meet the three-year service requirement and maintain satisfactory performance.

The TSC has also committed to progressive promotions in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), where many teachers serve in lower grades while performing administrative roles without appropriate recognition or allowances. The Commission aims to align these teachers’ grades with their responsibilities through affirmative action measures.