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The writer argues that Kenya’s proposed teacher grading reforms should focus on improving teachers’ salaries, career progression, healthcare, and overall welfare rather than simply changing grade names.
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While the new Teacher 9 to Teacher 1 structure may simplify promotion pathways and reduce career stagnation, the reforms will only be meaningful if they are backed by better pay, fair promotion opportunities, adequate medical cover, and stronger support for teachers’ professional dignity and well-being.
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The article emphasizes that genuine teacher empowerment requires substantive policy and financial commitments, not cosmetic administrative changes.
Kenya’s ongoing review of the teacher grading structure has sparked intense debate among educators, unions, and policymakers. As the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), in collaboration with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the National Treasury, finalizes proposed reforms, the central question remains whether changing grading labels will improve teachers’ welfare or merely repackage existing challenges.
Education stakeholders argue that renaming grades without improving salaries, promotion opportunities, and working conditions risks becoming a cosmetic exercise. Meaningful reform, they say, must address long-standing career stagnation, remuneration concerns, healthcare challenges, and professional dignity.
Evolution of Teacher Grading in Kenya
Kenya’s teacher management system has undergone significant changes since the establishment of the TSC in 1967. Key milestones include the Bessay Report of 1972, the Mackay Report of 1981 that introduced the 8-4-4 system, the Kamunge Commission of 1988, and the 2010 Constitution, which granted the TSC constitutional independence under Article 237.
In 2011, the commission introduced the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) system to link career progression to performance. This was followed by the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), which replaced traditional job groups with alphanumeric grades ranging from B5 to D5.
The latest proposals seek to replace the current structure with a simplified Teacher 9 to Teacher 1 framework.
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Challenges Under the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines
The 2018 CPG was intended to harmonize career progression by merging separate schemes of service for graduate, non-graduate, and technical teachers. However, many educators argue that the reforms created new barriers instead of solving existing ones.
One of the most contentious issues has been the stagnation of deputy principals and senior teachers. Administrators who previously served in senior job groups were placed into Grade D1 during the transition, regardless of years of experience. Many have remained in the same grade for years despite increased responsibilities and qualifications.
Teachers’ representatives have described the process as an effective administrative demotion that denied experienced educators deserved promotions.
The grading system also tied advancement to the availability of administrative vacancies within specific categories of schools. As a result, highly qualified teachers working in sub-county schools often faced limited promotion opportunities compared to colleagues in national and extra-county institutions.
Additionally, acquiring higher academic qualifications such as master’s degrees and doctorates no longer guaranteed faster career progression. Promotion became heavily dependent on competitive interviews, quotas, and available vacancies, leading to widespread stagnation, particularly from Grade C3 upwards.
Proposed 2026 Reforms
To address these concerns, the TSC has proposed a major restructuring of teacher career progression.
The new framework introduces a unified Teacher 9 to Teacher 1 grading system that seeks to establish clearer progression pathways across primary, secondary, and tertiary education levels.
Under the proposed structure, Teacher 9 will serve as the entry level for certificate and diploma holders, while Teacher 7 will become the entry grade for degree holders. Advancement will continue through progressively higher grades until Teacher 1, the highest professional rank.
A notable feature of the reforms is the introduction of two parallel career pathways: classroom teaching and administration. This model allows teachers to rise through the ranks and earn higher salaries without necessarily leaving the classroom for administrative positions.
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The TSC estimates that the reforms could reduce the time required to progress from entry level to the highest professional grade from about 30 years to 18 years.
Addressing Teacher Shortages
The proposed reforms also seek to tackle staffing shortages created by the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), particularly in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
To widen the recruitment pool, the commission has proposed lowering the minimum entry grade for diploma teacher training from KCSE mean grade C+ to C plain.
The reforms further propose relaxing deployment requirements for primary school teachers who have upgraded their qualifications to degree level. Teachers with a bachelor’s degree in education would qualify for deployment to JSS if they attained at least a C+ in one teaching subject, even if their overall KCSE mean grade was C plain.
The move is expected to help address a teacher shortage estimated at nearly 50,000 educators in junior secondary schools.
The Salary Question
While the proposed grading structure promises clearer progression pathways, many teachers insist that titles alone will not improve their livelihoods.
The TSC has proposed salary increases ranging from 16 per cent to 32 per cent under the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), alongside a 20 per cent increase in allowances.
The commission has also proposed phasing out some lower grades and moving affected teachers up by one grade, resulting in immediate salary gains.
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If implemented, the revised salary structure would significantly improve earnings across all grades. However, teacher unions argue that the proposed increments fall short of rising living costs.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for a 50 per cent salary increase for teachers in higher grades and a 100 per cent increase for those in lower cadres.
The debate underscores a key concern among educators: that any grading reform not accompanied by substantial financial improvements will fail to address the realities facing teachers.
Healthcare and Welfare Concerns
Teacher welfare has emerged as another major issue in the reform debate.
In December 2025, the TSC moved more than 400,000 teachers and over one million dependents from the Minet medical scheme to a Social Health Authority (SHA)-managed cover under the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund.
The new arrangement introduced several benefits, including a Ksh300,000 last-expense payout, expanded access to specialised treatment, support for chronic illnesses, and enhanced healthcare services.
However, implementation has been hampered by funding challenges.
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The TSC has reported a Ksh1.4 billion funding gap in the current healthcare programme. Additional concerns include outstanding liabilities owed to the previous medical administrator and a projected Sh5.3 billion shortfall in the 2026/27 budget for insurance covers such as Group Life, Group Personal Accident, and Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) protection.
These funding gaps have contributed to service disruptions, delayed treatment, and growing dissatisfaction among teachers.
Mental Health and Professional Dignity
Beyond salaries and healthcare, education stakeholders argue that teacher welfare must include mental and emotional well-being.
Teachers continue to face significant workplace pressures, including overcrowded classrooms, transfers that separate families, career stagnation, and increasing social challenges affecting learners.
To address these concerns, the TSC has established a Workplace Counselling Policy aimed at providing professional psychological support and promoting mental wellness among educators.
Experts argue that investing in mental health services can help reduce burnout, improve morale, and enhance overall performance in schools.
Strengthening Transparency Through BEVOT
The commission is also implementing the Biometric Enrollment and Validation of Teachers (BEVOT) programme to improve data accuracy.
The exercise involves biometric registration, verification of academic credentials, and validation of teacher deployment records. TSC believes the initiative will eliminate errors that have previously affected promotions, deployment, and workforce planning.
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Accurate records are expected to support a fairer and more transparent implementation of future grading and promotion systems.
The Way Forward
Education stakeholders maintain that the success of the grading reforms will depend on whether they deliver tangible benefits.
Among the key recommendations are linking any new grading structure directly to salary improvements, resolving promotion stagnation among school administrators, securing adequate healthcare funding, recognising academic qualifications fairly, and accelerating the rollout of BEVOT.
Ultimately, the review presents an opportunity to modernise the teaching profession and restore confidence among educators. However, many teachers insist that genuine reform must go beyond changing titles and grading labels.
For teachers, professional dignity will be measured not by what they are called, but by fair pay, clear career progression, reliable healthcare, and a work environment that recognises and rewards their contribution to national development.
By Ndiema Alfred
A Seasoned Educationist
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