The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced a new and wide-ranging policy that will change the way promotions are effected in the education sector. The new drastic shake-up is likely to affect teachers who are currently serving in acting capacities but have failed to secure promotion, replaced with their promoted counterparts with immediate effect. This follows TSC’s commitment to the principle of meritocracy in deciding who holds administrative positions as a result of being rewarded professionally. Let us unpack the details of this policy, what it has changed to, and what that means for the teaching fraternity.
Quick Summary:
- TSC to replace teachers in acting roles with those successfully promoted.
- Policy aims to align promotions with administrative responsibilities.
- Promoted teachers to undergo screening for Chapter six compliance.
Upholding Meritocracy
In an elaborate public relations spell aimed at transparency and accountability, TSC has reinstated teachers in acting capacities who were not promoted with their junior promoted on account of their hard work. The working policy underpins the statement by the commission that it will be alert to seeing that administrative assignments are left to teachers who have proven themselves in their profession.
TSC has now signaled its readiness to ensure administrative appointments in schools are carried out in a harmonized manner after the commission published 724 successful teachers across the country with details of their promotions in 724 pages. TSC ensures that a promoted teacher is in line with the administrative roles that the teacher is likely to fill at the station. They are now enhancing proper and efficient school management, thus leading to good learning and teaching, not only for the students but also staff members.
All promotional teachers are supposed to be screened for an adherence to Chapter six, as prescribed in the Kenyan Constitution on ‘Leadership and Integrity’. For these, they must avail a good conduct certificate, tax compliance, clearance from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), clearance from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the credit reference bureau. In so doing, the TSC ensures that the teaching force attains the epitome of uttermost standards of integrity and professionalism.
Deployment Considerations
Teachers promoted to deputy and headteacher are generally posted out of their current sub-counties, bringing in more mobility and diversity in school leadership. Those promoted to senior teacher are likely to serve in the sub-counties of schools where there are vacancies. Confirmation resultantly sees teachers who have been acting for many years assume their rightful roles in schools and, thus, ensuring necessary continuity and stability in management in the schools.
In cognizance of such efforts and the need to ensure records of the same are made available to candidates, TSC will release regret letters to unsuccessful teachers as proof of attendance of the interviews. Many candidates may miss promotion at this time, but TSC is not leaving any teacher behind. TSC is doing this to make sure that no stone is left unturned where information on growth in the profession is concerned within the teaching fraternity.
