TSC to promote 36, 000 teachers

By Peter Ochieng 

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will soon effect the promotion of 36, 000 teachers.

TSC says the promotions will be done across nine grades, with the good news coming a matter of days after some 14,000 teachers were promoted.

"Promotions will be spread across primary, secondary schools and teacher training colleges," the commission said in a statement.

In the plan, TSC has set aside 12, 716 promotions for senior masters under grade C4, while senior teachers under C2 class have 10, 819 promotion slots.

"For headteachers, the commission has set aside 1,049 promotions under grade C5."

Up to 700 promotion positions are available for senior teachers in special needs schools under grade C2, while 200 positions have been allocated for senior lecturers in teachers training colleges.

TSC's news on promotion of teachers comes two days after the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) leadership, rejected a new salary proposal by the commission.

KUPPET leaders hold the opinion that the 2.4 percent to 9.5 percent salary increment proposal is way below both the presidential directive and Salary Remuneration Commission (SRC) advisory.

KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori said the proposal was far below their expectation, terming as unsuccessful a meeting with TSC officials, which was aimed at resolving the matter.

“It is sad what TSC has presented and is even less than what the SRC gave. The proposal according to TSC is giving lower figures than what teachers out there expect. Even what the president announced is not within what TSC is thinking about,” said Misori.

“The SRC said teachers and other public servants to get between seven to 10 per cent. But we were expecting no less than that. We realized that it is either the SRC was lying to us or the TSC was not being genuine or serious with these negotiations,” he added.

However, Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) leadership accepted TSC's proposed salary increment.

"The 2.4 per cent to 9.5 per cent is welcomed by the Kenya National Union of Teachers. There is nothing that has been reduced since the 2.4 per cent will be going to the highest earner and 9.5 per cent to the lowest earner," said KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu.

That means teachers will get a salary increase of between Sh1, 000 and Sh3, 000.