TSC Gets Sh1 Billion in Budget for 20,000 Teacher Promotions.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been allocated Ksh 1 billion for teacher promotions in the 2025-2026 financial year. This funding, approved by the parliamentary budget and appropriations committee, will facilitate the promotion of at least 20,000 teachers to higher job groups.
Hon. Julius Melly, the Tinderet Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, emphasized that these promotions will play a crucial role in motivating teachers and addressing gaps in teaching resources.
TSC’s annual goal is to promote at least 20,000 educators, ensuring career progression and addressing job stagnation. The promotions encompass deployments to both junior and senior secondary schools.
TSC intends to issue promotion letters in April 2025 to teachers who successfully passed the January and February promotion interviews. Those who did not qualify will receive regret letters. The Commission will also publish the list of successful candidates on its website.
Interviews for post-primary school teachers took place between January 27 and February 6, 2025, while primary school teacher interviews were conducted from January 13 to January 23, 2025. These interviews applied to teachers from Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) and secondary schools.
Advertised Promotion Slots and Application Statistics
In total, TSC had advertised 25,288 promotion slots for both primary and post-primary teachers.
Initially, 5,690 slots were announced for school administrators in November 2024, followed by an additional 19,943 vacancies in December 2024 for teachers in job groups C1 to D3. Of these, 16,109 slots were allocated to primary schools, while 9,179 went to post-primary institutions.
The 2025 promotions saw a significant number of applications, similar to the previous year. A total of 189,000 teachers applied, with 96,640 being primary school teachers and 44,043 post-primary school teachers.
Unlike previous years, the 2025 promotion interviews did not include oral questioning. Instead, interview panels, comprising Sub-County Directors, Human Resource Officers, and Curriculum Support Officers, focused on document verification. Teachers were required to present identification, academic credentials, and other relevant documents.
The TSC promotion scoresheet favored older teachers, with those aged 45 years and above receiving higher marks. Specifically:
- Teachers aged 55 and above earned 30 marks
- Those aged 50-54 received 26 marks
- Candidates aged 45-49 scored 22 marks
- Educators aged 40-44 were awarded 18 marks
- Those aged 30-39 obtained 14 marks
Additional scoring criteria included:
- Academic Qualifications: Master’s (5 marks), Degree (3 marks), Diploma (1 mark)
- KNEC Examiner Experience: 4 marks
- Years in Current Grade: 7+ years (50 marks), 6 years (40 marks), 5 years (30 marks), 4 years (20 marks), 3 years (10 marks)
- TPAD Rating: Scores ranged from 2 to 10 marks, depending on performance
- Presentation: 1 mark
Teachers who successfully secure promotions will receive their letters from County and Sub-County Directors before being posted to schools with vacancies. Unsuccessful candidates will receive regret letters and may reapply in future opportunities.
Compliance with Chapter 6 Requirements
Promoted teachers must provide five essential documents in compliance with Chapter 6 of the Kenyan Constitution, which outlines leadership and integrity requirements for public service workers. These documents include:
- A valid Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
- Clearance Certificate from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)
- Tax Compliance Certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)
- Clearance from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)
- A Clearance Certificate from an approved Credit Reference Bureau (CRB)
Future Promotion Plans
TSC is seeking additional funding to promote another 20,000 teachers this year. Additionally, mass retirements of teachers in June and August 2025 have created vacancies that the promotions aim to fill.
Positions left vacant by retiring Heads of Institutions (HOIs) and Deputy Heads of Institutions (DHOIs) will be addressed through these promotions.
List of Advertised Promotion Vacancies
A total of 19,943 vacancies were advertised in the December 2024 announcement, covering various positions within primary, secondary, and TTC institutions. The available vacancies include:
Post-Primary Institutions
- Chief Principal (Regular School) – 44 vacancies
- Chief Principal (TTC) – 3 vacancies
- Senior Principal (Regular School) – 126 vacancies
- Senior Principal (TTC) – 3 vacancies
- Principal (Regular School) – 652 vacancies
- Deputy Principal I (TTC) – 3 vacancies
- Deputy Principal II (Secondary School) – 786 vacancies
- Senior Lecturer I (TTC) – 13 vacancies
- Deputy Principal III (Regular School) – 1,408 vacancies
- Senior Lecturer II (TTC) – 32 vacancies
- Senior Master II (Secondary SNE) – 2 vacancies
- Senior Master III (Regular School) – 1,987 vacancies
- Senior Lecturer III (TTC) – 61 vacancies
- Senior Master III (Secondary SNE) – 6 vacancies
- Senior Master IV – 2,221 vacancies
- Senior Lecturer IV (TTC) – 70 vacancies
- Secondary Teacher I (Diploma teachers only) – 184 vacancies
- Lecturer I – 7 vacancies
Read Also: Grade 9 Learners to Choose Senior School Pathways in 2nd Term
Primary Schools
- Senior Head Teacher (Regular) – 254 vacancies
- Senior Head Teacher (SNE) – 7 vacancies
- Head Teacher (Regular School) – 2,130 vacancies
- Head Teacher (SNE Primary School) – 33 vacancies
- Deputy Head Teacher II (Regular Primary School) – 3,653 vacancies
- Deputy Head Teacher II (SNE) – 33 vacancies
- Senior Teacher I (Regular Primary School) – 4,703 vacancies
- Senior Teacher I (SNE Primary School) – 77 vacancies
- Senior Teacher II (Regular Primary School) – 1,364 vacancies
- Senior Teacher II (SNE Primary School) – 81 vacancies
In summary, the 2025 TSC teacher promotions aim to enhance career growth opportunities, fill existing vacancies due to retirements, and ensure the education sector remains well-staffed and motivated. The allocation of Ksh 1 billion will facilitate this effort, benefiting thousands of educators across Kenya.
TSC Gets Sh1 Billion in Budget for 20,000 Teacher Promotions.
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