20,000 primary school head teachers who have been waiting to be promoted to Junior Secondary School (JSS) principals will have to wait a bit longer, according to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia.
While addressing the school heads at this year’s Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) conference in Mombasa on Wednesday, Macharia stated that the promotion touches on terms and conditions that need to be captured in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) whose next cycle is for the years 2025-2029 and is yet to be drafted.
In the interim, she urged them to work with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to ensure they are privy to the responsibilities in their new positions of heading JSS institutions.
In her address, Macharia also asked the National Assembly Committee on Education and Research chair Julius Melly to come through for the school heads when the time came to sign the head teachers in as principals and the commission would be quick to approve them.
A section of Primary School Head Teachers at the annual general meeting (AGM) of KEPSHA in Mombasa on November 6, 2024.
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This pronouncement has thrown a wrench into the administration of the institutions that the primary school headteachers have been heading in an acting capacity since the enactment of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The 20,000 headteachers were expecting the commission to announce their promotion this year but their dreams were dashed and the earliest they can assume their positions is next year.
Other issues Macharia addressed were the lack of Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers applying for promotions despite them having all the requirements needed and there being several vacancies available for them.
To the school heads, she also urged them to promptly submit casualty forms for newly hired teachers to ensure there are no months-long delays in their salary payments.
Her address came at a time when JSS teachers across the country have been experiencing hurdle after hurdle as the government keeps pushing the timeline for hiring them.
At the beginning of October this year, TSC readvertised the initial 46,000 permanent teaching vacancies for all teachers who had completed their internship. The application process was however riddled with technical glitches and even more teachers ended up applying after the deadline was pushed ahead.
An additional 20,000 teaching internship opportunities were advertised following this on October 29. The teachers are expected to serve for 12 months in the temporary position as they also eye the absorption on a permanent and pensionable basis.
Speaking during the Gold Award Presentation of the Presidential Awards Scheme on October 17, President William Ruto announced that 20,000 more teachers would be employed in January in an effort to curb the teacher-learner ratio gap.Â
“Many schools across Kenya continue to have gaps in education. This denies many children the opportunities to become their best,” President Ruto said.
President William Ruto during the award of university charters to Islamic University of Kenya and the National Intelligence and Research of Kenya at State House in Nairobi on November 5, 2024.
PCS
