Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has struck a deal with Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) that will see teachers’ employer promote all teachers who were converted from Job Group M to C5, and who have not earned any promotion since 2017.
The deal was reached during KUPPET-TSC retreat taking place at Naivaisha.
The Commission indicated that it will promote the senior teachers, who are less than 1,000 in service.
In a statement KUPPET indicated that they agreed that the teachers will get their promotion within the year 2024.
Also within this year, the Commission will seek an allocation of KSh1 billion for the promotion of 30,000 teachers who have stagnated. The priority group will be the current C4 and C5 teachers who will move to C5 and D1 respectively, in order to open up opportunities for long-serving teachers still trapped in Grade C3.
The 7,400 teachers on C4 were left out of the 2023-2024 promotions allegedly because they had served in the current grade for less than three years.
However, the Grade was opened to them only two years ago following KUPPET lobbying, after they had stagnated in C3 and the previous Job Group L for many years.
The Commission committed to confirm all acting Principals currently on Grade D2 in their stations. Some of the Principals, who head sub-county schools, took over newly-established or very small schools which they have transformed in terms of performance and enrolment, and therefore gained the necessary experience for headship.
KUPPET committed to lobby Parliament and the National Treasury to safeguard the KSh2.5 billion for the promotions.
“The union appreciates efforts by Members of Parliament to establish new schools through the Constituency Development Fund. We will lobby Parliament to create a budget line for the new schools which contribute to acting appointments in service since the Commission has to deploy administrators for them,” part of the statement read.
The commission also committed to employ 20,000 new teachers for Junior Secondary and 2,000 primary school teachers in ASAL areas within this financial year.
In January 2025, the Commission has agreed to convert all the 26,000 intern teachers recruited in 2023 to permanent and pensionable terms.
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In secondary schools, KUPPET demanded the conversion of all Board of Management (BoM) teachers into TSC employment, since the teachers are filling a gap created by the Commission’s slow employment.
The union complained that most of the teachers are poorly paid by their institutions, they have no medical care and cannot be disciplined by the Commission yet they are serving in public institutions.
The Commission expressed a willingness to manage the BoM teachers if funds are made available to it. KUPPET committed to take up the matter with other agencies to make that goal a reality.
TSC also agreed to the union’s demand to review the Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) that have contributed to stagnation among teachers and to develop new career Guidelines through public participation. The new Guidelines will fasten career growth by reducing the length of time taken from the lowest to the highest scale within the service.
Specifically, KUPPET proposed the abolition of Teacher Scale C5 for post-primary teachers, so that teachers will move from C4 into senior administration. The union also proposed the opening up of non-administrative positions for senior teachers at D4, even if they do not become school principals.
The commission will also include JSS teachers, who are currently operating in the dark, in the new Guidelines.
In the teachers’ medical scheme, the Commission committed to implement new Group Life Cover, Group Personal Accident Cover and Work Injury Benefits (WIBA) insurance for teachers as part of the medical scheme.
The union raised grievances on Excess of Loss and Ex-Gratia which the Commission said were fully insured and available to teachers.
Regulation 107 of CORT provides the procedure for obtaining Ex-Gratia, which covers between 50-75 per cent of the bill paid directly to the hospital.
The parties will jointly conduct member education to sensitise teachers on the range of services available under the Scheme.
On issues of allowance for acting administrators, KUPPET petitioned the employer over the high number of teachers acting in administrative positions without any compensation. The parties did not agree on the compensation of teachers on acting appointments.
The union held that acting administrators deserve acting and special duty allowances as provided under the CORT. The Commission claimed that acting positions were abolished by Salaries and Remuneration Commission Circulars, and therefore were not compensable.
KUPPET maintains that the Commission is duly violating the law by using acting administrators and not compensating them. The union’s legal team will consider instituting a legal demand to let the Court pronounce itself on compensation for acting appointments.
The union demanded the introduction of a Post-Graduate Allowance for teachers who possess Masters and PhD degrees irrespective of their positions in service. The parties agreed to consider advanced qualifications in the new Career Guidelines to be developed after CPGs are abolished.
On delayed pensions for retired teachers, TSC stated that it was working jointly with the Department of Pensions on administrative action to quicken the pension processes.
On the unions demand for retired teachers to be facilitated to enjoy medical insurance, the TSC committed to help the retirees upon paying a reasonable premium to be determined by the Commission.
The union committed to work with Parliament in amending the People Living with Disability Act which requires teachers living with disabilities to renew certificates every five years.
By Obegi Malack
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