The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has declined a proposal to promote about 20,000 primary school head teachers who have been waiting to be promoted to Junior Secondary School (JSS) principals. 

Speaking during this year’s Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association (KEPSHA) conference in Mombasa on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said that the teachers’ promotions should be captured in a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) whose next cycle is for the years 2025-2029.

According to TSC, such promotions can only happen if they are captured in a fully signed CBA.

Macharia urged the head teachers to remain patient as she advised them to work closely with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and other stakeholders in the education sector to ensure they understand their additional responsibilities in heading JSS institutions.

At the same time, the TSC CEO urged the National Assembly Committee on Education and Research to approve the head teachers’ promotions when the right time comes for the commission to implement.

Her pronouncement was a disappointment to the primary school headteachers who have been heading JSS in an acting capacity since the enactment of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Meanwhile, the headteachers were expecting the commission to announce their promotion this year but they were guided to wait longer, until a CBA and other logistics were put in place.

Additionally, the TSC boss urged the headteachers to submit casualty forms for newly hired teachers on time to ensure there are no delays in their salary payments.