TSC to implement new teacher career progression guidelines from next year

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will begin implementing new career progression guidelines for teachers from next year, a commissioner said.

TSC commissioner Timon Oyucho said the commission would no longer use the 2018 career progression guidelines, which he said had restricted teachers’ advancement to certain grades.

“We have put in place progressive career progression guidelines,” Oyucho said during an event to mark World Teachers’ Day in Seme constituency.

Under the new guidelines, teachers will have opportunities to advance from entry-level positions to the highest grades, including the position of chief principal, without necessarily becoming school administrators, he said.

Oyucho said classroom teachers would be able to progress to the level of chief principal and that all school heads would now be referred to as principals.

He said a teacher who rises to the position of chief principal would retire at the same level as an administrator of equivalent rank.

The commission would also consider professional development and other factors in determining promotions, Oyucho said.

Teachers who excel in creative activities should not be surprised if they are promoted, he said, after awarding several teachers who had distinguished themselves in such activities.

Oyucho said the TSC would also change how World Teachers’ Day is marked, with celebrations to be held in different counties on a rotational basis.

The event had previously been held mainly at regional headquarters, he said, adding that the commission wanted to move away from that approach.

“Over the past years the event has been on a single day in October but it has largely been held in the village,” he said.

Oyucho said the Seme event had been organised through the sub-county level and included competitive activities, with participants progressing through vetting from the sub-county to the regional level.

He said many teachers had previously been unaware of the event.

Under the new arrangement, each county would be assigned a different event, with the aim of encouraging teachers to excel, he said.

“The TSC is taking this event very seriously,” Oyucho said, adding that the move was intended to demonstrate the commission’s support for teachers and their professional development.