- Deployed JSS teachers say the transition to junior secondary schools did not amount to a promotion despite increased responsibilities.
- Many argue that their academic qualifications, leadership experience and years of service remain unrecognised under the current promotion framework.
- The teachers are calling on TSC to review career progression policies to ensure fairness and equity.
By Hillary Muhalya
For thousands of deployed P1 teachers currently serving in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), the transition occasioned by the implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE) was expected to mark a new chapter of professional growth and recognition.
Instead, for many, it has become a deeply emotional journey marked by stalled career progression, diminished morale and what they describe as “a promotion that never was.”
These teachers served in primary schools for years, and in many cases decades, before their deployment to JSS.
During that time, many pursued continuous professional development at great personal sacrifice. Among them are holders of diploma qualifications, Bachelor of Education degrees, master’s degrees and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualifications.
Their expectation was that academic advancement, combined with long service, would translate into career progression and leadership opportunities.
However, the freezing of promotions based on academic qualifications in 2014 disrupted that trajectory.
The subsequent introduction of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) significantly altered the promotion framework, leaving many teachers in grades that no longer reflected their qualifications, experience or professional growth.
Deployment Versus Promotion
The rollout of CBE and the establishment of Junior Secondary Schools led to the deployment of these teachers to JSS as Secondary Teacher II under Grade C2.
While the move ensured staffing for the new system, many teachers insist it should not be interpreted as a promotion.
Instead, they argue that it was a transfer of service designed to support education reforms rather than reward career advancement.
From their perspective, a promotion implies upward mobility, recognition of experience, enhanced responsibility and improved professional standing.
Deployment, they argue, did not elevate their career grades in a manner that reflected their academic achievements, leadership experience or years of service.
Experience Overlooked
Many teachers say they now find themselves competing for promotion alongside colleagues who joined the profession much later despite having accumulated decades of experience.
Some of the deployed educators previously served as headteachers, deputy headteachers, senior teachers, heads of departments and curriculum coordinators.
They managed institutions, supervised staff, oversaw finances and spearheaded development projects.
Following deployment to JSS, however, many say they received no additional recognition for their previous leadership roles.
Some now find themselves functioning as ordinary classroom teachers despite years of administrative experience.
Growing Frustration
Among the strongest sentiments expressed is that these teachers embraced and supported the successful implementation of CBE in Junior Secondary Schools, only to feel that their experience, sacrifice and professional effort have gone unrecognised.
They argue that they helped stabilise the new system, ensured continuity in learning and carried the burden of reform implementation in good faith.
As a result, many describe themselves as increasingly frustrated and demotivated.
Some question the value of pursuing higher qualifications if academic advancement no longer translates into meaningful career progression.
Concerns Among Older Teachers
The emotional toll is particularly significant for those approaching retirement.
Many deployed teachers are now over 45 years old and fear they may leave the profession without attaining promotions or leadership positions commensurate with their qualifications, competence and experience.
For them, time is no longer an abstract concern but an immediate reality.
Appeal for Fairness
Despite these frustrations, many continue to serve with dedication and professionalism, driven by their commitment to learners and the education system.
However, they maintain that long-term motivation cannot be sustained through goodwill alone.
Recognition, fairness and structured career progression remain essential pillars of a motivated teaching workforce.
The teachers are therefore appealing to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to review the promotion framework for deployed JSS educators.
They want a system that recognises previous service in primary schools, acknowledges leadership experience and fully values academic advancement when determining eligibility for promotion.
A Call for Recognition
The teachers insist that they are not seeking preferential treatment but equity and justice.
Educational reforms, they argue, should build on existing expertise rather than erase it.
Experience accumulated over decades in leadership and classroom practice remains relevant and should not be rendered invisible by structural transitions.
At the heart of their appeal is a call for recognition and fairness.
They maintain that deployment to Junior Secondary Schools was a transfer of service necessitated by reforms, not a promotion.
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Therefore, career progression should reflect the totality of a teacher’s professional journey rather than merely their current station.
Their collective message remains clear:
“We embraced Competency-Based Education. We worked tirelessly to ensure its success in Junior Secondary Schools. We carried the burden of transition with dedication and sacrifice. But today, many of us feel that our experience, qualifications, leadership roles and toil have gone unrecognised. Deployment was a transfer of service, not a promotion. We seek fairness, recognition of our contribution and equal opportunities for career progression within the teaching service.”
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