For years, thousands of teachers across Kenya walked into classrooms not just to teach, but to endure. Beneath structured rhythm of lesson plans, schemes of work, and assessments lay a quiet but persistent frustration—career stagnation under the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines (CPG).
What had been introduced as a framework for growth slowly turned into a system of professional suffocation, trapping teachers in job groups with little hope of advancement.
It was not just about delayed promotions. It was about dignity. It was about fairness. It was about a profession that increasingly felt unseen and unheard.
Many teachers spent five, even seven years in the same grade, despite consistent performance and commitment. Promotions became rare, unpredictable, and often tied to competitive interviews that many believed lacked transparency. Classroom teachers—those at the very heart of learning—felt particularly sidelined, as career growth seemed to favor administrative ambition over instructional excellence.
In staffrooms across the country, frustration simmered quietly. Teachers showed up, did their work, and kept the system running, but deep down, many had stopped believing that the system would ever work for them.
That belief is now being tested again—but this time, with a renewed sense of hope.
At the center of shift is the acting Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Secretary, Eveleen Mitei, whose leadership has come at a critical moment. With growing pressure from teachers and stakeholders, she has spearheaded the reworking of the Career Progression Guidelines, setting in motion reforms that could redefine the future of the teaching profession in Kenya.
The reworked guidelines signal more than a policy adjustment—they represent a philosophical shift. They seek to restore fairness, recognize competence, and create a system where teachers can grow without unnecessary barriers. But as these reforms take shape, one thing is clear: teachers are not just watching—they have expectations.
And those expectations are as bold as the reforms themselves.
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One of the most celebrated changes in the new framework is the introduction of automatic promotions for teachers in lower job groups. For years, teachers in grades such as B5, C1, C2, and C3 found themselves stuck, waiting endlessly for opportunities that never came. The new system proposes a time-bound progression—typically three years—based on meeting professional standards.
This is a game changer.
It replaces uncertainty with structure. It assures teachers that their careers will not stall indefinitely. It restores a sense of direction, allowing them to plan their professional lives with confidence.
But with this promise comes expectation. Teachers expect that automatic promotions will be implemented consistently and without hidden conditions. They expect that the timelines will be respected, and that bureaucratic delays will not creep back in through the back door.
In short, they expect the system to finally do what it says.
Equally transformative is the reduced reliance on interviews for progression. Under the old CPG, interviews became a major bottleneck. Many teachers viewed them as opaque, inconsistent, and at times unfair. Competence in the classroom did not always translate into success in the interview room, leaving many deserving teachers locked out.
By limiting interviews largely to administrative roles, the new guidelines acknowledge a simple but powerful truth: teaching excellence cannot always be measured in an interview.
For classroom teachers, this is a relief. It validates their daily work. It recognizes that impact in the classroom matters more than performance before a panel.
Yet here too, expectations are high. Teachers expect transparency in the few interviews that will remain. They expect clear criteria, fairness, and accountability. They want assurance that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated in a smaller but still significant space.
Another critical pillar of the reforms is the shift toward competency-based progression, aligned with Competency-Based Education (CBE). This approach emphasizes skills, professional development, and performance, reflecting the evolving demands of modern teaching.
In theory, this is a progressive move. It aligns career growth with actual teaching practice. It encourages continuous improvement and positions teachers as lifelong learners.
But teachers are approaching this shift with cautious optimism.
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They expect clarity. What exactly constitutes competence? How will it be measured? Who will measure it? These are not small questions. Without clear answers, a competency-based system risks becoming another source of confusion and subjectivity.
Teachers also expect support. Professional development must be accessible, relevant, and adequately funded. It cannot become an additional burden placed on already stretched educators. If teachers are to be evaluated on new competencies, they must be equipped with the tools and training to meet those expectations.
The issue of equity also looms large in teachers’ expectations. One of the major criticisms of the old CPG was that it favored teachers in well-resourced or high-performing schools. Visibility, access to resources, and learner outcomes often tilted the scales in their favor, leaving teachers in marginalized areas at a disadvantage.
The reworked guidelines promise to address this imbalance by focusing more on individual competence rather than institutional context.
This is a welcome shift—but teachers expect it to be real, not rhetorical.
They expect a system that genuinely recognizes effort in all environments. They expect that a teacher working in a remote school with limited resources will have the same opportunity for growth as one in a well-equipped urban institution. They expect fairness that goes beyond policy statements and is reflected in actual decisions.
Another area of expectation is the role of performance evaluation systems such as TPAD. While designed to support professional growth, TPAD has, at times, been criticized for being overly bureaucratic and, in some cases, subjective.
As the new guidelines place greater emphasis on performance, teachers expect reforms in how appraisal systems are implemented. They want evaluations that are supportive rather than punitive, objective rather than subjective, and meaningful rather than procedural.
They want a system that helps them grow—not one that simply judges them.
Beyond the technical aspects of the reforms lies a deeper expectation—one that speaks to the very soul of the profession.
Teachers expect respect.
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For too long, many have felt that their work is undervalued. Delayed promotions, inconsistent policies, and administrative hurdles have contributed to a sense of neglect. The reworked guidelines are an opportunity to change that narrative.
But respect is not just about policy. It is about implementation. It is about communication. It is about how teachers are treated on a daily basis within the system.
They expect timely communication about changes,transparency in decisions, accountability from those in leadership, and they expect to be heard.
The role of Eveleen Mitei in this reform process has not gone unnoticed. Her leadership has injected momentum into a long-stalled conversation. By pushing for changes to the CPG, she has signaled a willingness to confront difficult issues and to respond to the concerns of teachers.
But leadership, as teachers understand, is not judged by intention alone. It is judged by outcomes.
As such, there is an unspoken expectation that the reforms will not lose steam. That they will be followed through with consistency and commitment. That they will not be diluted by bureaucratic inertia or competing interests.
Teachers are ready to embrace change—but they are equally ready to hold the system accountable.
The stakes are high. A motivated teaching workforce has a direct impact on learner outcomes, educational quality, and national development. When teachers feel valued and supported, they give more of themselves to their work. They innovate. They inspire. They go the extra mile.
Conversely, when they feel neglected, the effects ripple outward, affecting not just classrooms but entire communities.
The reworked Career Progression Guidelines, therefore, are not just about teachers—they are about the future of education in Kenya.
They represent a chance to correct past mistakes. To rebuild trust. To create a system that rewards dedication, competence, and integrity.
But reforms, no matter how well designed, are only as good as their implementation.
Teachers know this. They have seen policies come and go. They have heard promises before. That is why their hope, though real, is measured.
They are watching closely, asking questions, and expecting results.
In the end, what teachers want is not extraordinary. It is simple, reasonable, s fair.
They want a clear path for growth.
They want recognition for their work.
They want fairness in opportunities.
They want a system that supports rather than frustrates them.
And above all, they want to believe again.
The reworked guidelines offer that possibility. They open a door that had long been closed. They signal a new beginning.
But whether that beginning turns into lasting change will depend on what happens next.
For now, one thing is certain: the era of silent endurance is ending. Teachers are no longer content to be buried under broken systems. They are rising—with expectations, with determination, and with a renewed sense of purpose.
And this time, they are not just hoping for change.
They are demanding it.
By Hillary Muhalya
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