Acting school heads in ASAL areas demand TSC recognition before July promotion rollout

• Acting school administrators in Narok County have urged TSC to formally recognize their roles ahead of the July promotion exercise under the revised Career Progression Guidelines.

• They say they have long served in leadership positions in ASAL and hardship areas without official appointment letters, despite handling full administrative duties.

• The educators are calling for non-monetary confirmation of their acting roles to improve morale, prevent promotion disparities, and enhance retention in underserved regions.

Acting school administrators in Narok County have called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to formally recognize their roles ahead of the planned review of Career Progression Guidelines and the upcoming July promotion exercise.

In a letter to the Commission, the educators serving in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) say their long-standing leadership responsibilities have been overlooked, despite years of service in challenging environments.

“For years, these teachers have carried the full weight of leadership without the dignity of an appointment letter. They sign discipline books, face angry parents, manage BOMs, write KNEC returns, and stand between learners and danger – yet TSC records show them only as ‘classroom teachers’,” the letter reads.

They argue that the lack of formal recognition is demoralising, especially when some of their colleagues receive substantive appointments while they continue serving in acting capacities.

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While acknowledging fiscal constraints at the Commission, the teachers say they are not seeking additional pay but formal confirmation of their roles.

“We understand and respect TSC’s budget realities. That is why we do not ask for money. We humbly request non-monetary appointment letters confirming their acting capacity,” the letter adds.

According to the educators, such recognition would safeguard acting administrators from being overlooked during the planned Level 1–6 promotions and help improve morale and retention in hardship regions.

“In Narok’s dry areas, acting heads walk long distances to school, teach under trees, and manage insecurity, drought, and cultural pressures; all without formal recognition. Their experience is not ‘acting’; it is tested leadership under hardship,” the letter states.

The teachers have urged the TSC to formally confirm all acting administrators serving in ASAL and other hardship areas before the new promotion guidelines take effect, saying their service under extreme conditions deserves official acknowledgement.

By Frank Mugwe