The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) in Kisumu has called for greater transparency and fairness in the ongoing promotion interviews for teachers.
KUPPET Kisumu executive secretary George Osura said some teachers had raised concerns about the transparency of the process, with claims that personal connections could influence promotions.
Osura urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to give greater consideration to merit, experience and the length of time teachers have served in their current grades.
He also called for teachers who have excelled in their work but do not want to become school principals to be considered for career progression within the classroom.
“Such people should also be considered for promotions in the classroom,” he said.
Osura welcomed the inclusion of achievements in co-curricular activities, including drama, sports and refereeing at regional competitions, among the factors considered during promotions.
He said academic qualifications, including PhDs, master’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees, should also be taken into account.
He further called for the removal of the promotional ceiling at grade D5, arguing that some teachers who were promoted early in their careers had since stagnated.
Osura said teachers’ career grades should be extended beyond E1, as is the case in some other areas of the civil service.
He also proposed the use of artificial intelligence to support the promotion and evaluation of teachers, arguing that the TSC already holds records of teachers’ qualifications and work histories.
“Calling teachers who have been teaching for many years for interviews is a waste of time,” he said.
Osura said school principals had significant responsibilities beyond teaching, including accounting and maintaining discipline, while teachers handled numerous duties in schools.
He said KUPPET would continue engaging the TSC and the Ministry of Education on issues affecting teachers.
The union, he said, had opted for dialogue in resolving disputes rather than adopting a confrontational approach.
Osura also said the TSC had assured the union that teachers would only be transferred from hardship areas when there was a need to do so.
“Teachers with enhanced allowances will not be moved from their respective stations unless they are the ones who have applied for the same,” he said.
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