Unions slam TSC over limited promotion slots as 131,000 teachers apply for 21,000 positions

Teacher unions have slammed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for continuously offering fewer promotion slots than required, saying the limited openings leave thousands of qualified teachers trapped in the same grade.

This comes after the latest promotion exercise, which ran from August 12 to 25, saw over 131,000 applications submitted for just 21,313 positions, highlighting a backlog that unions say continues to undermine teacher morale and career growth.

The TSC confirmed receiving 131,734 applications for the 21,313 promotion vacancies, reflecting an oversubscription of 618 per cent.

“Successful applicants will be notified through official TSC channels once the selection is concluded,” the commission told the Sunday Nation.

However, both the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) raised concerns over the slow pace of promotions and career stagnation.

KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu said the number of advertised slots remains far below the need, leaving tens of thousands of teachers stuck.

“In the last exercise, there were more than 180,000 applicants, but only 25,000 teachers were promoted. There are now 131,000 teachers eligible for promotion, yet only about 21,000 slots are allocated. That is a drop in the ocean. This means stagnation remains largely unresolved. Teachers stuck in one grade are still waiting for a solution. The current promotions do not fully address the backlog,” he said.

Oyuu added that the government and President William Ruto approved an additional Sh1 billion to the initial promotion budget of Sh1 billion, “which is expected to double the number of teachers moved in the next cycle.”

He, however, cautioned that even with the extra funding, the measures fall short of resolving the large-scale stagnation.

He traced the stagnation problem to the Career Progression Guidelines introduced last February, noting that teachers with higher qualifications, especially those in administrative positions, have remained in the same grade.

“When we talk of the next promotion cycle, we are committed to doing away with the Continuous Professional Growth (CPG) framework, which has led to stagnation. Under this plan, many teachers have remained in the same grade unnecessarily. Even the old system failed to protect them,” he said.

“We want promotions to be based on the fairer system outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the TSC. It ensures eligible teachers move up the ladder as they should.”

Kuppet Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima said more than 130,000 teachers are stuck in the same grade, including about 100,000 nearing retirement.

“The problem is that the TSC is advertising fewer slots than needed. Every advertisement falls short of the huge number of teachers stuck in the system,” he told the Sunday Nation.

“Why is the TSC promoting in bits? As the promotions come in bits, the stagnation persists and other teachers continue getting into the stagnation block.”

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Nthurima added that many teachers approaching retirement remain in the same job groups, describing it as frustrating. He suggested funds for promotions should come from savings from retired teachers’ posts instead of waiting for new government allocations.

“Those who have been in the same job group for many years should be promoted first. The process should then move down to those with fewer years,” he said.

“Some teachers approaching retirement are still in the positions they have held for many years. For anyone in the profession, that is frustrating. The objective should be to clear the backlog and show that the commission is committed to resolving this issue.”

He warned that delays and casual handling of promotions affect both teacher morale and the quality of education.

“They have consequences on the quality of education and teacher morale. We will continue calling for an end to stagnation and protecting the standards of education,” he said.

He also noted that about Sh4 billion previously set aside by the President for teacher promotions could be used to address the backlog.

“This money should be used to address stagnation instead of waiting for new allocations. This was part of the previous commendation system. It can clear the backlog effectively,” he added.

Meanwhile, the TSC announced the recruitment schedule for 24,000 junior school teacher interns, with applications having closed on September 9. The recruitment exercise is scheduled from December 8 to 19, with interviews to take place at sub-county level.

Oyuu described the internship programme as a stop-gap measure necessitated by funding constraints. With nearly 20,000 internship contracts ending in December, Knut is pushing for the prompt absorption of these teachers into permanent and pensionable terms.

“Making these teachers work as interns, which is not even in the code of regulations, is a stop-gap measure. These teachers are being paid very little despite not being proper interns,” he said.

“We accept this arrangement only as a temporary solution, not because it aligns with the law. Knut hopes it doesn’t take long before a proper system is put in place.”

He added that the number of trained but unemployed teachers nearly equals those already employed, making internships a necessary temporary solution.

Nthurima also raised concerns over the casual handling of the teaching profession.

“There is no law supporting the employment of interns beyond 12 months. The agreement was that once interns have served for a year, they should be absorbed to permanent and pensionable employment,” he said.

“The government must stop shifting goalposts. Prolonging internships compromises teacher welfare and the quality of education.”

Intern teachers have warned that they will not report back to schools in January if the government fails to confirm them into permanent and pensionable positions ahead of the expiry of their one-year contracts on December 31.