- Teachers in ASAL and hard-to-staff areas have raised concerns over lengthy career progression timelines for educators performing administrative duties while remaining in lower job grades.
- The teachers have questioned why TSC takes years to confirm acting administrators as substantive, arguing this denies them the remuneration attached to the roles they are already performing.
- The concerns have emerged as TSC reviews its Career Progression Guidelines, a process still under consultation, with teachers calling for special provisions to recognise and retain educators in hardship regions.
Teachers serving in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) and other hard-to-staff areas have raised concerns over prolonged career progression for educators who take up administrative responsibilities while remaining in lower job grades.
The teachers argue that some educators are appointed and posted to schools where they perform duties associated with administrative positions, but are required to wait for several years before progressing through the grading structure and eventually qualifying for substantive appointment. Under the current career progression framework, teachers can spend a minimum of three years at successive grades before becoming eligible for the next level. For a teacher starting at Grade B5, progression through C1, C2, C3 and C4 can therefore take many years, subject to meeting the requirements and availability of promotional vacancies. TSC’s current promotion adverts, for example, require a teacher seeking Deputy Headteacher II at C4 to have served as Senior Teacher I at C3 for at least three years.
The affected teachers say the situation is particularly difficult in ASAL and hard-to-staff areas, where staffing shortages often compel educators to take on additional administrative responsibilities to keep schools functioning. They contend that teachers who act in administrative positions are effectively performing duties beyond their substantive grades, yet do not receive the remuneration attached to the positions they are undertaking. “This teacher is doing the duties of a substantive administrator. Why should TSC wait for almost ten years for the teacher to be made a substantive administrator?” the teachers questioned, arguing that prolonged acting appointments not only deny teachers financial recognition but could also affect morale, motivation and retention in areas already struggling to attract and retain qualified educators.
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The concerns come at a time when the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is reviewing its Career Progression Guidelines, with proposed changes aimed at making career advancement more predictable and addressing concerns over stagnation.
The review process is still subject to consultation, and no final framework had been adopted at the time of reporting. TSC has previously faced concerns over teachers serving in acting administrative positions, particularly in ASAL and hard-to-staff areas, and in 2022 the Commission was reported to have considered affirmative-action measures to confirm teachers serving in acting capacities in such areas.
The teachers are now calling for a review of the promotion and acting appointment system to ensure that educators who consistently perform administrative duties are recognised and compensated appropriately. They want TSC to consider special provisions for teachers in hardship and hard-to-staff areas, arguing that faster confirmation and promotion would provide an incentive for educators to continue serving in regions where staffing remains a persistent challenge.
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The teachers maintain that while career progression should be based on merit and established professional requirements, the system should also recognise the realities faced by educators who keep schools running while occupying acting positions. Their appeal is for the Commission to address what they describe as an unfair gap between the responsibilities assigned to teachers and the grades and remuneration attached to their positions.
By Kimwele Mutuku
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