The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has defended its decision to prioritise older teachers in recent promotions, arguing the move was designed to balance fairness, equity, and service delivery while addressing career stagnation among those nearing retirement.
The policy, which has stirred mixed reactions within the profession, comes at a time when the commission faces mounting pressure to accelerate promotions amid limited vacancies and a growing pool of qualified applicants.
According to TSC Staffing Director Antonina Lentoijoni, age and performance were central to the criteria used. “It helps to minimise cases of teachers retiring without experiencing career advancement. Performance, on the other hand, ensures promotions remain merit‑based,” she told school heads during the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Murang’a County Chapter conference in Mombasa.
Lentoijoni noted that factoring in age was meant to recognise long‑serving teachers who had waited years without progressing in their careers. She added that promotions had resumed steadily since the 2022/23 financial year after stalling for several years.
“We have to appreciate the government, as promotions had stalled for some time after 2017. From the 2022/23 financial year, we have witnessed consistent promotions,” she said.
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According to TSC, the latest promotions took effect on January 1, with more expected in the current financial year following additional funding from the National Treasury.
Lentoijoni linked the expanded budget to a September 2024 meeting between President William Ruto and more than 10,000 teachers at State House, where unions raised concerns over delayed promotions, capitation, and medical cover.
“Courtesy of that visit, we now have an additional budget of KSh1 billion this financial year. That means more teachers will get promoted,” she said. The allocation enabled the promotion of about 5,000 teachers, supplemented by recurrent expenditure that pushed the total number of promotions to 21,300.
However, Lentoijoni highlighted the intense competition for senior roles, citing chief principal positions where only 99 vacancies were advertised in the latest cycle, up from 34 the previous year.
In another case, 490 vacancies were advertised for Job Group D4 from D3, the highest ever in that category, yet 3,498 teachers applied. She stressed that promotion slots must be distributed across all 47 counties, limiting opportunities per region.
“These positions are a national cake. When you divide them by 47, every region gets a tiny share, yet the number of qualified applicants remains very high,” she explained.
This imbalance, she said, informed the decision to prioritise older teachers in the latest cycle. “The teachers approaching retirement have been waiting for these positions for years. While the opportunities are few, it was important to give them a chance,” she added.
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Lentoijoni insisted that age was not the sole criterion. Performance in national examinations, participation in co‑curricular activities, and length of stay in a job group also contributed to the scoring. Age, she clarified, played a significant role mainly during shortlisting.
She acknowledged that the current Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) have slowed promotions, but said the commission has begun reviewing the framework after collecting feedback from teachers. Concerns have been raised that it can take three to four decades to rise to the chief principal level.
Lentoijoni urged teachers to remain patient and continue applying, assuring them that reforms are underway.
By Masaki Enock
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