- Newton Maneno argues that weak progression systems have steadily eroded the professional standing of teaching in Kenya.
- He questions promotion practices, professional development structures and remuneration across the teaching service.
- The writer calls for merit-based progression, stronger standards and greater recognition of teachers’ qualifications.
Every parent, policymaker and honest teacher in this country should confront this question without flinching: at what point did teaching in Kenya stop being a profession?
Not in name, of course. The Teachers Service Commission still exists. Schools are still open. Teachers still report to duty.
But a profession is not merely an occupation that persists. A profession is defined by the rigour of its entry, the clarity of its progression, the enforceability of its standards and the dignity of its remuneration.
By every measure, teaching in Kenya has been hollowed out, and the institution most responsible for that hollowing is the very body charged with protecting it — the TSC.
Consider the gate.
In the writer’s view, entry into teaching is less rigorous than admission to professions such as law, medicine, or engineering.
Where professional bodies in law, medicine and engineering maintain prescribed academic, professional and licensing requirements, the TSC also sets minimum academic and professional requirements for teacher registration. Current TSC requirements include a mean grade of C+ at KCSE and C+ in two teaching subjects for a Bachelor of Education, with other prescribed requirements applying to diploma and other teaching qualifications.
The issue, therefore, is whether those thresholds are sufficiently demanding to protect teaching’s professional standing.
A profession that becomes the destination of last resort cannot command public respect, and no amount of rhetoric about “noble callings” will restore what weak standards have destroyed.
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TSC’s promotion framework, in the writer’s view, lacks sufficient clarity in recognising advanced academic qualifications and distinguishing classroom progression from leadership appointments.
A teacher may acquire a master’s degree in educational management and leadership, invest personal resources in professional growth and demonstrate readiness for institutional stewardship, only to be overlooked for promotion.
Meanwhile, a long-serving classroom teacher may progress largely on the basis of the criteria set for the advertised position.
TSC’s Career Progression Guidelines state that advancement depends on minimum qualifications and experience, the existence of vacancies, merit and ability as reflected in work performance, and Commission approval.
Yet teachers continue to question how postgraduate qualifications are weighted within that framework.
Worse still, some teachers say they are not always able to distinguish clearly between progression within a classroom-teaching grade and appointment to a leadership position.
A promotion system should leave candidates in no doubt about the role for which they are competing.
Then there is professional development.
In established professions, in-service training is structured, continuous and closely connected to professional practice and advancement.
TSC does have formal provisions for professional development. Its Career Progression Guidelines expressly recognise Teacher Professional Development, while its T-Learn platform provides continuous professional development courses, progress tracking, CPD points and certificates.
The more important question is whether professional development is consistently and transparently linked to promotion and career progression.
A teacher can invest in further academic qualifications yet still feel that those qualifications carry limited weight when promotion opportunities arise.
This is not merely about fairness. It is about whether the system creates strong incentives for teachers to keep developing professionally.
If postgraduate study, professional training and demonstrable improvement do not translate into clearer progression opportunities, the system risks discouraging the very excellence it should be cultivating.
The question of remuneration
And then there is pay.
Despite the long hours spent in classrooms, on marking, administration, co-curricular duties and the many other responsibilities that define the modern teacher’s day, many teachers continue to argue that remuneration does not adequately reflect their qualifications and responsibilities.
Their education notwithstanding — and many hold degrees, postgraduate diplomas and master’s qualifications — teachers frequently express frustration that career and salary progression does not adequately reward further academic and professional development.
The message such frustration creates is damaging: that additional professional investment may not necessarily produce corresponding recognition.
A country that wants excellent teaching must ensure that remuneration, professional expectations and career progression reinforce one another.
The cumulative effect is a profession that many teachers describe as demoralised and increasingly frustrated.
Teachers who enter with passion and purpose can be worn down by a system they believe does not sufficiently reward excellence or recognise additional qualifications.
The brightest may leave for other sectors. Some of the most committed may retreat into silence, doing what is necessary to remain in service without seeing a clear path for advancement.
And the children?
They ultimately absorb the consequences whenever the teaching profession loses motivation, professional confidence or its capacity to retain talented educators.
The regulator therefore carries substantial responsibility.
TSC cannot exercise extensive authority over recruitment, deployment, promotion, discipline and professional development without also being subjected to scrutiny over whether its systems strengthen the profession.
Authority must be accompanied by accountability.
A profession is not sustained by the mere fact that people occupy classrooms. It is sustained by rigorous standards, fair systems and rewards that encourage excellence.
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If teaching is to regain its professional standing, TSC should continually review entry standards, make promotion criteria and pathways clearer, strengthen the connection between professional development and career advancement, and ensure that qualifications and performance receive appropriate recognition.
Anything less risks weakening the very profession on which the country’s education system depends.
By Newton Maneno
Email: manenonewton1@gmail.com
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