Good news for acting school heads as promotions begin January

At least 3,300 school heads and deputies currently serving in acting capacities are set to receive confirmation to their roles starting January, following the government’s allocation of Sh1 billion for teacher promotions.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) have agreed to use the funds to fill critical administrative roles in primary and secondary schools. This decision follows persistent lobbying by unions for additional funding through Parliament to address the stagnation of teachers in the same job groups.

Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu expressed concern that many educators have served in acting capacities for periods far exceeding the legally stipulated six months.

“We have school heads and deputies who have been acting for over three years. These individuals must be prioritised,” said Oyuu. 

The plan, agreed upon during a week-long meeting in Naivasha between TSC and KNUT, seeks to address a leadership crisis in 3,359 schools. Data from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms indicates that 1,918 primary schools lack headteachers, while 1,441 secondary schools are without principals.

Initially, the TSC had proposed special duty allowances for acting school heads and deputies as compensation for their additional responsibilities. In January, the commission informed Parliament’s Education Committee that negotiations with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) were complete and budgetary provisions for the allowance were being explored.

However, the new development prioritises substantive appointments over allowances.

While appearing before Parliament, TSC chief executive Dr Nancy Macharia attributed the reliance on acting school heads to a shortage of qualified teachers for leadership positions.

“Teachers are only deployed on acting capacity where the commission lacks qualified teachers with the requisite grade and experience for substantive appointment,” said Macharia, who indicated that the registration of new schools has been a major challenge, resulting in a leadership conundrum in schools.

She said the government has been establishing new schools but does not provide a budget for the promotion of teachers to head the new schools, thus the commission is forced to rely on acting administrators.

Union leaders argue that stagnation in teacher promotions stems from rigid criteria introduced in the 2017 Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs). Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairman Omboko Milemba criticised the guidelines as a significant obstacle to career advancement.

“These rules have left many experienced teachers unable to qualify for deputy headteacher roles, forcing them to wait years for job group changes,” Milemba said.

KNUT’s Oyuu echoed these concerns, citing multiple instances where deputy headteacher roles were advertised repeatedly without attracting sufficient applicants. “Today, we have thousands of experienced teachers who became senior teachers by 2017, but who up to now are not qualified to become deputy headteachers and must wait for three years to move to a job group that corresponds with the role of a deputy headteacher,” Oyuu told The Standard.