Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has unveiled a new grading system for Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers showing a clear pathway from the lowest grade of Secondary Teacher III to Chief Principal.
This is music to the ears of 10,733 primary school teachers who were deployed to JSS early this year; they will be able to rise to the highest position in basic education, that is, Grade D5 TSC Scale 15.
The minimum basic salary in this grade as per the recently amended 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is Ksh131,380, and the maximum is Ksh159,534.
The highest grade they would reached had they remained in primary school is Senior Headteacher at Grade D1 TSC Scale 11, earning between Ksh78,625 and Ksh95,101.
In the teaching service, the best perks, which include basic salary and allowances, are enjoyed between scale 11 and 15.
According to the job designations, intern teachers will be graded as Intern Teacher Secondary.
Those who are Diploma holders have been designated as Secondary Teacher III at Grade C1 and while Bachelor’s Degree in Education holders or its equivalent are designated as Secondary Teacher II at Grade C2, which is also a promotional grade for holders of Diploma in Education.
According to Teachers Career Progression Guidelines, Secondary Teacher III is the entry grade for secondary school teachers who are holders of Diploma in Education, while Secondary Teacher II is the entry grade for their Bachelor’s Degree in Education counterparts.
Secondary Teacher I is designated grade C3, with promotional grades at JSS being Senior Master IV at Grade C4, Senior Master III at Grade C5, Senior Master II at Grade D1, and Senior Master I at Grade D2.
As per the old CPG for teachers, Senior Master IV is a promotional and an entry grade for institutional administrators in secondary schools, with a teacher appointed to this grade being expected to provide professional support, mentorship, and guidance and counselling to the other teachers in the school.
The Commission has however established a new post of Deputy Principal IV in JSS at Grade C5, which will now be the new entry grade for deputy principals in JSS, then promoted to Deputy Principal III at Grade D1, Deputy Principal II at Grade D2, and Deputy Principal I at Grade D3.
The deputy principal reports to the principal and supports them in the development and implementation of education plans, policies, programmes and curriculum activities.
Principal at Grade D3 is the promotional grade for administrators in secondary schools whereby for JSS, the Commission has designated them Principal JSS at Grade D3, whose promotional grades will be Senior Principal at D4 and Chief Principal at D5.
The principal is the lead educator and accounting officer responsible for the operational management of the institution and development and implementation of education plans, policies, programmes and curriculum activities.
However, all promotional grades will be competitive and subject to availability of vacancies.
They will be required to serve for a minimum of three years in every grade, have satisfactory rating in the performance appraisal process, and undertake relevant Teacher Professional Development (TPD) modules, among others.
It is not clear whether the Commission will adopt the same grading structure considering that the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms recommended domiciling JSS in primary schools and being renamed Junior School.
The team also proposes a redefinition of basic education with an expanded primary school to be known as Comprehensive School comprising of pre-primary (PP1-PP2), primary (Lower and Upper), and Junior School (grades 7-9).
The comprehensive school will fall under one overall leadership of a principal, with pre-primary, primary and junior school being headed by deputy principals.
In March this year, the Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Nancy Macharia said all P1 teachers with higher qualifications should be deployed to JSS and automatically promoted to Grade C2, while those who already were in Grade C2 were pushed higher as per the TSC CPG.
By Roy Hezron
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