TSC Breaks Silence on Fake Letter Claiming SRC Blocked Teacher Promotions.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has dismissed as fake a letter circulating on social media claiming that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had rejected the Commission’s proposed Career Progression Guidelines for teachers over funding and public wage bill concerns.
The forged document, dated July 6, and purportedly signed by SRC Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony, alleged that the proposed Career Progression Guidelines had been rejected on the grounds that their implementation would significantly increase the public wage bill and undermine fiscal sustainability.
The fake letter further claimed that the Teachers Service Commission had been directed to revise the proposed framework and continue implementing the existing Career Progression Guidelines until fresh approval had been granted by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
The Teachers Service Commission has clarified that the circulating document is not authentic and has urged members of the public to disregard the misleading communication.
The clarification comes as the Commission continues reviewing the proposed Career Progression Guidelines following stakeholder consultations conducted in June. According to the Teachers Service Commission, the review seeks to update the 2016 Career Progression Guidelines to align with evolving professional requirements, technological developments and the changing operational environment within Kenya’s education sector.
The Commission indicated that feedback received during the stakeholder engagement process from teachers, Curriculum Support Officers, Teachers Service Commission officials and other education stakeholders will be incorporated into the final version of the revised Career Progression Guidelines.
The proposed reforms are intended to address concerns regarding delayed career advancement among teachers. The Commission noted that some teachers have remained in the same job grades for up to 30 years without promotion. Separately, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for the promotion of approximately 135,000 teachers to address the existing promotion backlog across the teaching service.
Under the draft Career Progression Guidelines, the Teachers Service Commission proposes the introduction of a three-year promotion cycle, under which eligible teachers would be considered for advancement based on competency and performance. The proposed framework is designed to enable teachers to progress to senior grades within an estimated 16 to 18 years of service.
The Commission has also proposed replacing the existing grading structure, which currently ranges from Grade B5 (Primary Teacher II) to Grade D5 (Chief Principal), with a simplified six-level career structure aimed at streamlining career progression across the teaching service.
Additional proposals contained in the draft framework include the introduction of automatic promotions for teachers serving in lower grades who satisfy the prescribed minimum service period and performance requirements.
According to the Teachers Service Commission, promotions under the revised Career Progression Guidelines will be based on professional competence, work experience, academic qualifications and performance.
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The proposed framework also introduces distinct career pathways for classroom teachers, school administrators and Curriculum Support Officers, with the objective of providing structured and specialised career advancement opportunities within the teaching profession.
The Teachers Service Commission has maintained that the review process remains ongoing and that the final Career Progression Guidelines will be informed by stakeholder submissions collected during the consultation exercise. Meanwhile, the Commission has reiterated that the purported letter alleging rejection of the proposed guidelines by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission is fraudulent and should be disregarded.
TSC Breaks Silence on Fake Letter Claiming SRC Blocked Teacher Promotions.
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