17,000 Teachers Who Were Not Promoted In 2023 Would Have To Wait

17,000 Teachers Who Were Not Promoted In 2023 Would Have To Wait 

According to the instructors Service Commission, almost 17,000 educators were not promoted in 2023, which meant that thousands of instructors who were hoping for higher pay grades will have to wait a little longer.

After the commission posted job openings for 14,738 positions in 2023, some 28,681 teachers submitted applications for promotions.

24,255 teachers were shortlisted and 11,231 were promoted by the TSC. 17,450 instructors were thus left out.

3,507 positions were left unfilled, according to the discrepancy between the 14,738 open job posts and the 11,231 instructors who received promotions.

There were 602 positions for Regular School Principals within job group D3 in TSC’s 2023 promotion announcement.

Just 257 instructors applied for promotion out of the 602 positions. 253 people were promoted out of the total shortlist.

Additionally, the TSC posted job group D3 advertisements for eight Special Needs Education School Principal openings. There was only one confirmed instructor who had applied for the promotion.

Additionally, 17 Deputy Principal I positions were open under job group D3. Only eight of the twenty instructors who applied and were shortlisted received promotions.

Under job group D2, the commission posted 725 positions for Deputy Principal II. For the promotions, 3,511 instructors submitted applications. Although everyone was shortlisted, only 362 were hired.

Under job group D1, special needs education schools need fifteen Deputy Principals III. For the fifteen positions, only eight teachers applied. Two received promotions.

Additionally, the TSC worked to advance Deputy Headteachers II at Regular Schools to job category C4. A total of 7,720 vacancies were advertised, and 5,250 people showed interest in them and were shortlisted. There were 5,152 teachers promoted out of the candidates.

Under job group C4, there were ninety open positions for senior Master IV teachers. Out of the 660 teachers who applied, 452 were selected for further consideration. Of these, just 64 received promotions.

The commission posted 32 positions for Senior Teacher II under job group C2, and 631 educators applied. Ten positions remained unfilled after 177 teachers were shortlisted and 22 of them were promoted.

Additionally, the TSC posted job group C4 advertisements for 195 Deputy Head Teacher II positions. Only 126 of the approximately 372 instructors who submitted applications were promoted.

The commission posted 284 positions for Senior Teacher II, and 1,751 applications were received. 195 of the 1,450 applicants on the TSC’s short list were promoted.

In its 2022–2023 report, the TSC stated that the scarcity of teachers remained a major concern, even with significant assistance from the federal government to overcome staffing gaps.

The shortfall was 111,870 as of June 30, 2023 (primary 45,918 and secondary 65,952). The TSC stated that in order to hire more teachers, there is a need to advocate for the government to provide more funding.

The commission added that the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines for Teachers, which call for the creation of a common cadre and competitive promotion, served as guidelines for teacher advancement.

The commission stated that “these promotions are dependent on budgetary provisions and availability of vacancies.”

According to the TSC, the commission promoted 11,231 teachers through competitive selection and 11,069 through common cadre institutions in the 2022–2023 academic year.

Several educators contacted by The Star stated that the commission conducts interviews with potential applicants for advancements every three years.

The government will occasionally wait more than three years to announce promotions. However, a teacher stated, “It usually depends on the funds they have.”

At the end of their first three years of service, teachers on the TSC roster are automatically promoted. A teacher who wants to advance to a higher pay grade after the first promotion must apply anytime there is an advertisement.

Those who don’t get promoted will have to wait until the commission announces the next round of applicants.

According to TSC Chief Nancy Macharia, there are 99,045 junior school instructors needed this year, compared to the present 56,928 tutors.

She declared that until ideal personnel levels are reached, the commission would be funded by the government.

Speaking in January at the 2023 KCSE results announcement, Macharia stated that TSC has asked for funding for an extra 20,000 teachers for the upcoming fiscal year.

“The commission has received funding in appreciation of the excellent work done by our educators, and it is currently in the process of moving 36,505 teachers up to the various grade levels. 18,591 of these openings are for post-primary teachers, while 17,914 will be filled by primary school teachers, according to her.