TSC says it needs Sh3 billion to promote over 178,000 stagnated teachers

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) now says it requires Sh3 billion to promote more than 178,000 primary and secondary school teachers who have remained in the same job groups for years.

Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee on Tuesday, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia attributed the prolonged stagnation to years of underfunding, which she said had crippled the implementation of career progression guidelines.

“Lack of sufficient budgetary provision has significantly impeded the career growth of teachers. This stagnation has triggered complaints from unions, lowered morale and contributed to increased attrition within the profession,” Macharia said.

She was responding to questions from the committee chaired by Kasipul MP and committee Vice-Chair Eve Obara. The CEO was defending the commission against accusations of skewed promotion practices and favoritism.

Macharia told MPs that in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years, only Sh2 billion was allocated to teacher promotions, a figure she said falls far below the Sh35 billion required to clear the existing promotion backlog.

She noted that of the 178,871 teachers awaiting promotion, 151,611 had been promoted over the two years, 75,090 through common cadre promotions and 76,521 through competitive processes.

In the current financial year alone, 25,252 teachers have been promoted following interviews conducted earlier this year.

Budgetary challenges

Despite this, 381 positions advertised in November and December 2024 remain vacant due to budgetary and logistical challenges, Macharia said.

She revealed that 5,690 teachers applied for the November 2024 promotions, while 19,943 applications were received the following month.

The CEO also told lawmakers that although the commission had requested Sh2 billion from the National Treasury for teacher promotions in the current year, it was only allocated Sh1 billion, once again falling short of its needs.

Her remarks come amid increasing pressure from the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), which has criticised the TSC for what it terms unfair and discriminatory promotion practices.

KESSHA has particularly taken issue with the commission’s quota-based system, saying it demoralises teachers and creates inequality in career advancement.

The TSC has, however, insisted that any additional funding would be directed toward ensuring fair and timely promotions to address the longstanding grievances among educators.

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