Deputy Principals Petition Parliament Over TSC Career Progression Stagnation
Secondary school deputy principals took to Parliament to air their frustrations over the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)for mysteriously keeping them from advancing in their careers under the current promotion system.
Getting Parliament Involved
Deputy principals led by Maurice Otieno Ouma and Paul Juma Were, 16 of them in total, put their case to the National Assembly in a formal petition. These guys have been serving for decades, have top-notch qualifications and are doing more than ever before - but they're stuck in the same job grade.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula wisely decided to send the matter off to the Departmental Committee on Education to figure out what's going on and come up with some recommendations.
What they're Upset About
The deputy principals say that all those teachers who got appointed between 2001 and 2014 have been stuck in the same grade for years and years despite their long service. And to make matters worse, back in 2018 the TSC brought in some new career progression rules that basically demoted them rather than promoting them - that's the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) for you.
That change, the deputy principals say, is causing all sorts of problems - like unfair treatment and stagnation for good people who've been sticking it out in leadership positions for years.
"The way we've been doing career progression has been playing favourites, being unfair and causing stagnation for deputy principals who have put their heart and soul into the job for all these years," the petition says.
So what do these deputy principals want ? They want the TSC to finally give them some recognition for all the years of hard work they've put in under old job structures, ensure that they get a fair shake on the promotion ladder, sort out the grading system and create some clear paths for career advancement.
What the MP's are Saying
The debate around this in Parliament was pretty lively - which just goes to show how big a deal this is for teachers generally.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya (who used to be a deputy principal himself) told the story of how deputy principals work tirelessly to make school run smoothly - "They're the ones who arrive before the sun rises and leave after the lights go out. They deal with discipline, supervise teachers, sort out exams and generally keep the place ticking over".
Turbo MP Janet Sitienei warned that if teachers don't get the promotion they deserve, they get disillusioned and less motivated - "When teachers feel like they're not getting anywhere, they just can't be bothered to put in the effort. And that's bad for the school, bad for the kids and bad for the education system as a whole."
A New Framework in Sight
The TSC is just about to unveil a new career progression framework for 2026 that addresses all the problems with the old one.
This new framework basically gives teachers two career paths to follow - so they don't have to leave the classroom to get to the top of their profession. The new grading system ranges from Teacher 9 up to Teacher 1, the top grade.
TSC Acting Chief Executive Evaleen Mitei explained that this new framework is needed because teachers are doing so much more under the new competency-based system than they were under the old 8-4-4 system.
The TSC Chairman, Dr. Jamleck Muturi isn't just optimistic - he's effusive - calling this new framework "the most progressive document the Commission has ever produced - something that finally addresses all the gaps and loopholes".
But will it all Work ?
The old system had loads of problems - it was not fair on teachers, it didn't treat people equally and it was a nightmare to sort out who got paid what. And then there was that long, long promotion ladder which just delayed career progression for everyone.
This new framework is supposed to sort all that out - giving teachers a fair deal, making sure that deputy principals get the recognition they deserve and eliminating all those systemic inequalities.
