- TSC Commissioner Wilson Sossion says the Commission is streamlining policies to appoint substantive school heads.
- Revised Career Progression Guidelines are expected to improve teachers’ mobility and access to administrative positions.
- The Commission is also developing a new system to address delays in teachers’ pension processing.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced that measures are being put in place through guidelines and policies to ensure all schools have substantive heads of institutions to spearhead their day-to-day management.
TSC Commissioner Wilson Sossion said that, for many years, many schools in Kenya have lacked substantive heads of institutions, instead having acting principals or acting headteachers. He said the Commission is currently streamlining policies to ensure every school in Kenya has a substantive head.
“I know that in Kenya we have many schools with acting headteachers, acting deputy headteachers, acting principals and acting deputy principals. The Commission is currently putting serious measures in place to eliminate these ‘acting’ positions and deploy substantive headteachers or principals to all schools to run them smoothly,” said TSC Commissioner Wilson Sossion.
Revised guidelines to support administrative appointments
Speaking at Christ the King Church in Nakuru during the TSC Open Day in commemoration of World Teachers’ Day, Sossion said the existing Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) have disrupted the management of Kenyan schools because many schools either do not have heads of institutions or have heads serving in acting capacities.
He said the Commission will put policy structures in place to enable qualified teachers to take administrative positions and head institutions in order to improve the quality of education among learners in Kenya.
The Commissioner said the existing CPG will be replaced, and the new guidelines will allow faster mobility for Kenyan teachers in every county, ensuring that every county has teachers qualified for appointment to administrative positions.
“Every county, every region, every tribe and every minority—it is a right in line with the UNESCO framework, and TSC will work on that. I can assure you it is a matter of time,” said Sossion.
Sossion also said the Commission is aware of the challenges retired teachers face due to delays in pension processing and is currently working to address them.
The Commissioner said TSC recognises the many years that hundreds of retired teachers have dedicated to teaching Kenyan children, and a new system is being put in place to facilitate pension processing.
“We are aware of the frustration facing our teachers who retire from service. The Commission is putting a new system in place to ensure we address delays in pension processing for teachers. It is a new system being worked on, and our staff are being trained. This will be a thing of the past,” said Sossion.
Promotions and closer cooperation
He also said the Commission will open up promotion opportunities for teachers, and stagnation will be a thing of the past.
Sossion gave the example of teachers participating in co-curricular activities, including the Science and Engineering Fair, saying they should be considered for promotion because they dedicate their time and skills to ensuring learners perform well in those areas.
The TSC Commissioner also reaffirmed that TSC and the Ministry of Education will work closely to improve education standards in Kenya.
READ ALSO: Sossion leads World Teachers’ Day celebrations in South Rift region
“The Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission will continue working collaboratively because the Ministry of Education designs the curriculum, develops policies and asks teachers to implement them. We must have good cooperation,” said Sossion.
By Peter Otuoro
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