TSC reviews career progression guidelines for teachers
TSC reviews career progression guidelines for teachers
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has begun reviewing the Career Progression Guidelines for teachers and curriculum support officers in a move that signals a shift from the current framework that has long been blamed for career stagnation within the teaching service.
The commission currently relies on the Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs) alongside the Teachers Professional Appraisal and Development (TPAD) system to guide the development, training and promotion of teachers from entry-level positions in primary schools to the rank of Chief Principal.
These frameworks outline job descriptions, personal attributes and key competencies required for each level within the profession.
Under the existing guidelines, career pathways for school administrators are separated from those of classroom teachers.
This arrangement is intended to create clear reporting structures while eliminating overlaps within the grading system.
The framework also sets out minimum entry requirements for those seeking to join the teaching profession and provides guidance to both prospective and practising teachers on the qualifications and competencies needed to advance in their careers.
In addition, the guidelines define the expected deliverables for each cadre of teachers, enabling the commission to set performance targets and measure individual performance through the TPAD system.
However, the commission now says the current framework has been overtaken by developments in the education sector.
The guidelines were developed in 2016 in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and rolled out in 2018.
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Over time, they have increasingly been criticised for contributing to long-term stagnation in promotions, partly because advancement to higher grades relies heavily on competitive interviews and, in some cases, appears to favour teachers working in certain categories of schools.
“The CPG 2018 has been outlived by the changing trends in both the teaching service and the education sector. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop well-defined, competency-based job descriptions that benefit all the teachers and curriculum support officers (CSOs),” the commission said.
The guidelines came into effect just a year after the rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, meaning they were not fully aligned with the teacher development demands created by the reformed education system.
As a result, the current model is seen as providing less structured career guidance in a system that has since undergone significant changes.
In response, TSC has convened a week-long retreat in Embu bringing together experts and experienced stakeholders from across the education sector, including senior teachers.
The meeting is aimed at gathering professional insights to inform a new job evaluation framework for the teaching service.
The review comes against a backdrop of growing criticism over how the commission conducts promotion interviews for teachers.
Over the years, teacher unions have raised concerns about the fairness of the process and the criteria used to evaluate candidates.
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