Teachers who coach winning teams, direct music and drama performances, mentor young scientists and nurture learners' talents could soon have greater opportunities for career advancement under proposed changes to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) promotion framework.
The Commission is moving towards a broader approach to teacher recognition, with a database designed to capture achievements in sports, music, drama, film and science competitions as it prepares to introduce revised Career Progression Guidelines (CPG).
The development could mark an important shift for thousands of teachers whose contributions to school life extend beyond classroom instruction but have not always received meaningful consideration during promotion interviews.
For years, games teachers, music directors, drama coaches and science mentors have complained that their achievements were overlooked when competing for higher job grades.
Some have spent years preparing learners for national competitions, winning trophies and representing their institutions at regional and international events without receiving corresponding professional recognition.
The latest TSC directive suggests that the Commission is seeking to address some of these concerns by formally documenting teachers' co-curricular contributions.
TSC directs counties to document teachers' achievements
In a memorandum dated February 9, the then Director of Staffing, Antonina Lentoijoni, directed County Directors to develop, maintain and regularly update comprehensive records of teachers who excel in mainstream co-curricular activities at different education levels.
The directive requires counties to capture teachers' achievements and ensure the information is accurate, complete, current and readily available whenever the Commission requests it.
The database will cover four major areas: sports, drama and film, music, and the Kenya Science and Engineering Fair (KSEF).
In sports, TSC wants counties to document coaches of teams that finish in the first, second and third positions in competitions involving primary schools, junior schools, senior schools, Special Needs Education institutions and Teacher Training Colleges.
Coaches of position-one composite activities will also be captured, alongside referees, umpires and other technical officials.
The inclusion of technical officials is particularly significant because their contributions have often received less attention than those of coaches and competing teams.
For drama and film, the database will capture directors, producers and adjudicators across the various education levels.
In music, the Commission will document directors and adjudicators involved in the Kenya National Music Festivals.
Science teachers will also be included, with records covering KSEF advisers, mentors, project directors, technical officials and judges.
The framework acknowledges that nurturing learners' talents, creativity, innovation and sporting abilities requires substantial professional commitment from teachers.
Information counties must capture
The Commission has specified the details that must appear in each teacher's record.
These include the teacher's TSC number, full name as appearing on the birth certificate, institution, education level and county where the institution is located.
The records must also indicate the co-curricular discipline, specific role, position or achievement attained, and level of participation.
The directive identifies five levels of participation: sub-county, county, regional, national and East African.
This distinction will enable the Commission to establish the level at which a teacher's contribution was demonstrated.
For instance, a coach whose team reaches the national championships will have a record reflecting that achievement, while a teacher whose team succeeds at county level will have the corresponding information captured.
County Directors are expected to maintain the records annually and submit them to TSC whenever required.
Regular updating could prevent teachers' achievements from being overlooked between promotion exercises.
It also creates an opportunity for teachers to ensure their professional contributions are properly documented rather than relying entirely on certificates presented during interviews.
Revised promotion guidelines raise expectations
The directive comes against the background of dissatisfaction among teachers involved in co-curricular activities.
Under the former Schemes of Service, teachers with outstanding achievements in sports, science congresses, drama and other activities could receive recognition during career advancement.
However, the adoption of the Career Progression Guidelines introduced a different promotion framework.
Under the CPG, co-curricular certificates reportedly carried limited weight, with teachers receiving only two marks for such achievements during some promotion interviews.
The situation became more contentious during the January and February 2025 promotion interviews when TSC reportedly removed recognition of sports certificates from the interview scoresheets.
Instead, the scoring framework placed greater emphasis on participation in national examinations and assessments through duties such as invigilation, supervision and marking.
The decision frustrated teachers who had invested considerable time and resources in developing school sports, drama, music and science activities.
In 2025, games teachers, through their professional sports associations, raised concerns with TSC and demanded the reinstatement of sports achievements in promotion assessments.
The Kenya Primary Schools Sports Association (KPSSA) and Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSA) were among the organisations that sought a review of the promotion scoresheet.
Their argument was that teachers' contributions to talent development and school representation should not be disregarded simply because they take place outside conventional classroom instruction.
The latest database initiative provides a formal mechanism for capturing these contributions, although the actual marks or weight they will attract under the proposed promotion framework remain to be established.
New guidelines expected to change promotion criteria
The revised Career Progression Guidelines have undergone job evaluation, with teachers awaiting their official release.
Acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei has indicated that teachers' ability to integrate their talents into curriculum implementation will be an important consideration under the proposed career structure.
This suggests a broader understanding of teacher performance, incorporating classroom delivery, learner development, mentorship, innovation and co-curricular excellence.
For games teachers, the changes could mean greater recognition for developing competitive teams and nurturing sporting talent.
Music and drama teachers could benefit from formal recognition of their work in directing performances, preparing learners for festivals and developing artistic abilities.
Science teachers who guide learners through innovation projects and competitions could also have their contributions recognised.
However, the effectiveness of the proposed changes will depend on how these achievements are incorporated into the actual promotion scoring system.
Ruto announces higher promotion target
The proposed reforms come as the government promises to expand opportunities for teachers seeking career advancement.
During World Teachers' Day celebrations at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on October 5, 2026, President William Ruto announced plans to increase annual teacher promotions from 34,016 to 50,000 beginning in the 2027/2028 financial year.
The President said the government would increase funding for promotions to support the higher target.
The announcement raised expectations among teachers who have waited for years to progress to higher job grades.
However, increasing the number of promotions also makes the criteria used to select successful candidates more important.
With an additional 15,984 promotion opportunities targeted annually, teachers will want assurances that the process is transparent, competitive and based on clearly defined professional achievements.
A promotion framework that recognises classroom performance alongside co-curricular contributions could provide a wider basis for assessing teachers' professional value.
The proposed changes also reflect the government's emphasis on productivity and measurable performance in public service.
On May 11, 2026, Public Service Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Paul Famba emphasised the importance of mainstreaming performance and productivity in public institutions during the opening of a five-day training programme at Commission House in Nairobi.
He called for greater efficiency, accountability and measurable results in public service delivery.
For teachers, however, performance must be understood within the broader responsibilities of the profession.
A teacher's contribution cannot be measured exclusively through examination results. Curriculum implementation, professional conduct, learner mentorship, talent development, innovation and participation in school programmes are also important aspects of effective teaching.
The proposed CPG will therefore be expected to strike a balance between academic performance and the wider responsibilities teachers undertake in their institutions.
Teachers await clarity on promotion marks
The establishment of the database presents an opportunity for teachers involved in co-curricular activities to document their achievements more systematically.
Games teachers should retain certificates, official competition results, appointment letters and other records confirming their coaching or technical roles.
Music and drama teachers should similarly preserve festival programmes, adjudication records, performance results and official documentation identifying their responsibilities.
Science teachers should maintain records of projects they have supervised, learners they have mentored and competitions in which their institutions have participated.
Teachers should also establish whether their achievements have been captured correctly by their institutions and County Directors' offices.
Accurate documentation will be important because the Commission intends to maintain verifiable information for future reference.
Despite the encouraging development, several issues remain unresolved.
The first concerns the actual weight co-curricular achievements will carry during promotion interviews.
The February 9 memorandum establishes the information counties must collect but does not specify how many marks teachers will receive for achievements at different competition levels.
Teachers will want to know whether national and East African achievements will attract more marks than county and sub-county performances.
The second concern is fairness.
Schools operate under different circumstances, with some enjoying better sporting facilities, equipment, funding and access to competitions than others.
Teachers working in poorly resourced institutions may find it difficult to achieve the same competition results as colleagues in better-equipped schools, despite demonstrating equal commitment.
The new promotion framework will therefore need safeguards to ensure professional excellence is assessed fairly.
The third issue is the relationship between academic performance and co-curricular achievement.
While talent development is an important responsibility, classroom teaching remains a central duty of teachers.
TSC will need to ensure that the revised guidelines recognise co-curricular excellence without undermining curriculum delivery, professional development and learners' academic progress.
The decision to establish a comprehensive database of teachers' co-curricular achievements could represent an important development in the management of the teaching profession.
For games, music, drama and science teachers, it offers hope that years of dedication to nurturing learners' talents will receive more formal recognition.
The proposed reforms could also encourage teachers to invest more in sports, creative arts, scientific innovation and other activities that contribute to learners' holistic development under Competency-Based Education (CBE).
Nevertheless, the database alone will not resolve the concerns raised by teachers.
Its real significance will depend on whether the forthcoming Career Progression Guidelines translate recorded achievements into meaningful consideration during promotion interviews.
Teachers are now waiting for TSC to release the revised framework and clarify how academic performance, professional experience, mentorship and co-curricular excellence will influence career progression.
For teachers who have spent years producing champions, directing award-winning performances and mentoring young innovators, the ultimate test will be whether their contributions finally count when promotion opportunities arise.
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