- Practical measures TSC can take to motivate teachers include regular promotions, fair pay and improved staffing levels.
- There is a need for developmental appraisal, stronger recognition programmes and better welfare support for teachers
- Teacher motivation depends on professional respect, clear communication and involvement in decision-making.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) can motivate teachers through a combination of better career progression, fair remuneration, supportive working conditions, recognition and participation in decision-making.
TSC should make promotions regular, transparent and predictable by providing enough promotional posts, publishing clear criteria and timelines, giving teachers feedback after interviews, and ensuring deserving teachers are not left for many years in one grade.
Salaries and allowances should keep pace with the cost of living. Responsibility allowances for teachers carrying additional duties should be reviewed and all approved allowances paid promptly and accurately.
Staffing levels need to be improved. Enough teachers should be recruited to reduce excessive workloads, with teachers who leave the service replaced promptly and particular attention given to schools experiencing serious teacher shortages.
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Career development should be strengthened through regular and accessible training, support for teachers pursuing further professional qualifications, and creation of clear pathways from classroom teaching to senior professional and administrative roles.
Good teachers should be recognised through stronger national, county and school-level recognition programmes that reward innovation, mentorship, improved learner outcomes, community service and professional leadership.
The Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) should be made developmental. Appraisal should be used to identify training and support needs, with constructive feedback given to teachers, and should not be turned into a culture of fear.
Teacher welfare should be improved by strengthening medical support, making transfers more responsive to genuine welfare and family circumstances, improving psychosocial support and counselling, and supporting teachers working in hardship areas.
TSC should listen to teachers by holding regular structured consultations with teachers and their unions, establishing effective channels through which teachers can raise grievances and receive timely responses, and publishing progress on major issues raised by teachers.
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Fairness and communication should be improved by explaining decisions on promotions, transfers, deployments and disciplinary matters, ensuring similar cases are treated consistently, and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
Teachers should be given professional respect by involving experienced teachers in policy development, recognising teaching as a profession requiring expertise and continuous development, and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens so teachers can concentrate on teaching and learners. In short, motivation goes beyond salary. A teacher is more likely to feel valued when they have fair pay, timely promotion, manageable workload, professional growth, recognition, welfare support and a voice in decisions.
By Obed Ratemo
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