TSC begins process to promote18,000 P1 degree holders

First batch of over 2,600 P1teachers with degrees

who attained C+ in KCSE are set for promotion.

By Azael Masese 

Over 2,600 P1 teachers with a Bachelors Degree in Education (BED) will be promoted, in a move meant to attract, motivate, and facilitate retention of competent workforce in the country.

Teachers set to benefit from move are those who attained a C+ (Plus) in their KCSE, which is the minimum qualification for university education.

Those to be promoted will be the first batch of the teachers who have met the expected thresholds of C+ as the Commission continues to sift through records of the 18,000 P1 degree holders to identify other deserving cases.

This is good news for teachers who have been waiting anxiously for the upgrading having spent their resources to go for further studies.

In an Internal Memo addressed to TSC Director in charge of Quality Assurance and Standards, Reuben Nthamburi, Acting ICT Director Gilbert Yegon said that the 2,612 teachers have been designated as BED graduates.

“Following your verbal request for TMIS data on teachers registered as P1 with a C+ in the teaching subjects and who are now designated as BED Graduates, ICT has managed to extract data for 2,612 teachers which have been sent through your email address,” Yegon wrote in the Memo addressed to Dr Nthamburi.

Titled, Primary Teachers data registered as P1 with a C+, the Memo, however, states that it was not possible to determine their scores (grades) in their teaching subjects since the registration module is not designed to capture the same.

The communication, Ref TSC/ (ICT)/GEN/TCH.REG./74/VOL.II/134 and dated 6^th March, 2019 comes at a time when the Commission submitted a report before parliament on the planned promotions.

In what would also appear to be welcome news to these cadre of teachers, TSC has indicated that these P1 teachers with degrees who obtained C+ in KCSE would likely be deployed in future to lower secondary schools under the new education system- 2-6-3-3-3.

A report tabled recently before the Parliamentary Education Committee disclosed that P1 teachers who hold diplomas, higher diplomas, undergraduate degrees, post graduate diplomas, masters and PhDs will serve at junior secondary levels at various institutions across the country.

The Commission, in the report titled Status report on teacher preparedness for CBC implementation, said that 36,341 P1 teachers might be deployed to lower secondary schools to meet staffing needs following the roll out of the new curriculum.

The report read by Commission Chief Executive, Nancy Macharia noted that 18,076 employed as P1 teachers had acquired degrees by end of October 2018.

According to the TSC Career Progression Guidelines for Teachers 2017,  a teacher will qualify for appointment to secondary teacher II T-Scale 7 if he/she is in possession of KCSE with a minimum mean grade of C+ or its equivalent.

One must also be in possession of a Bachelors Degree in Education with two teaching subjects. A Bachelors Degree holder in a relevant area with two teaching subjects plus a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) qualifies in this category.

Besides, one is expected to have attained a minimum grade of C+ in the two teaching subjects at KCSE level among other requirements.

Kenya National of Teachers (KNUT) has been pushing for the promotion of teachers who have acquired higher academic qualifications.

TSC froze promotion of teachers who had acquired higher qualifications, a matter that has compelled KNUT to threaten to go on strike. The dispute is currently pending in court.

KNUT Uasin Gishu Branch Executive Secretary, Jacob Arusei applauded the plan to promote P1 degree holders saying it will motivate teachers at the work place.

“This will uplift the morale of teachers who had acquired the minimum entry grade into the teaching profession and went ahead to acquire university degrees” he said.

A number of teachers who scored mean grade C+ in KCSE, the minimum university qualification and attained a P1 certificate and later on proceeded to university while in service have been yearning for promotion for quite some time.

Besides acquiring first degrees, higher diplomas and master’s degrees, a number of teachers have undergone further training at institutions such as Kenya Education Institute Management (KEMI) and the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE). These efforts, however, were yet to be recognized by their employer.

Asked if those with certificates and diplomas from the two institutions will be promoted, Deputy Commission Secretary, Simon Kavisi said these professional papers would only improve a teacher’s promotion prospects, especially during interviews in future.