Deputy principals seek Parliament’s intervention to compel TSC to review stalled promotions

Deputy principals have petitioned Parliament, accusing their employer of using the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines to keep many school administrators in the same grades despite years of service and higher qualifications.

According to the petition filed before the National Assembly, the affected deputy principals have experienced career stagnation after the implementation of the guidelines, which they say failed to recognise their years of service, previous job groups and expanded leadership responsibilities.

The petitioners, led by Maurice Otieno Ouma and Paul Juma Were, said deputy principals appointed between 2001 and 2014 have remained in the same grades for years despite gaining more experience and taking up additional duties in school administration.

They argued that the transition from the previous job group structure to the current grading system disadvantaged many senior teachers, especially those who were converted from Job Grade N to D1.

“The implementation of the Career Progression Guidelines has occasioned discrimination, inequity and stagnation among deputy principals who have diligently served in leadership positions for many years,” reads the petition.

The petitioners further claim that the conversion process did not consider the number of years teachers had spent in their previous job groups.

“It did not take into account the number of years that the teachers had stagnated in the various job groups, and in particular, teachers in Job Groups M and N whose conversion could be to D3 and D4,” reads the petition.

They want the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to recognise years served under the former job group structure, ensure fair consideration during promotions, harmonise grading systems and create clear career advancement opportunities for teachers.

The petition has been referred to the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education after Speaker Moses Wetang’ula directed the committee to investigate the concerns raised and table its findings and recommendations before the House.

The concerns come at a time when TSC is preparing to release a new Career Progression Guideline by the end of June, as required under the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement signed with teachers’ unions.

Last week, the commission met with union officials to brief them on the proposed framework and receive their input before the final document is shared with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The current 2018 Career Progression Guidelines have faced criticism from teachers’ unions, who argue that the framework does not provide a clear link between performance and promotion and lacks clear requirements for career advancement.

The proposed 2026 framework introduces dual career pathways and provides for progression within a unified grading structure ranging from Teacher 9, which is the entry-level grade, to Teacher 1, the highest grade.

TSC says the changes are meant to respond to the demands of competency-based education, where teachers have taken up wider roles compared to the previous 8-4-4 system.

“Career progression structures developed a decade ago may no longer adequately respond to today’s expanded curriculum as well as administrative responsibilities that our teachers undertake on a day-to-day basis,” TSC acting Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei said during a meeting with union officials last week.

The proposed reforms will also allow teachers to rise to the highest levels of the profession without leaving classroom teaching, with separate career tracks created for classroom practitioners and those pursuing leadership and administrative roles.

“This is the most progressive document that has been generated by this commission since 1960, addressing the gaps and sealing loopholes that have been there,” TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi added.

The matter also sparked debate in Parliament, with Members of Parliament saying the concerns raised by deputy principals reflect wider challenges affecting teachers across the country.

Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, who served as a deputy principal before joining politics, said school administrators handle key responsibilities including discipline, academics, administration and student welfare, yet many have remained in the same grades for years.

Turbo MP Janet Sitienei said delayed promotions have affected teacher morale and weakened leadership structures in schools.

“When teachers feel that hard work is not rewarded, productivity suffers. We need a promotion system that is predictable, transparent and fair,” she said.