Faster promotions for teachers as TSC, unions sign deal

Under the proposed 2026 Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), teachers will, for the first time, be able to rise to Teacher 1, being the highest grade in the profession without leaving the classroom, after introduction of separate career tracks for classroom practitioners and those pursuing leadership and administrative roles.

The agreement with the teachers’ unions marks the completion of the first phase in the development of a new teacher promotion framework.

The proposed guidelines will now be submitted to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for job evaluation, a process that will determine the relative value of various teaching roles and inform remuneration structures.

Also Read: Inside TSC promotion reforms: What teachers need to know

The evaluation by the SRC will assess the worth of various positions, including classroom teachers and administrators, to ensure pay is aligned with responsibilities.

Speaking after appending his signature to the proposed reforms alongside officials from Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), the TSC acting chief executive officer Evaleen Mitei said the overhaul of the CPG seeks to fix shortcomings that have become apparent over the eight years the framework has been in force.

"The review is anchored on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed with teachers’ unions last year, which identified the need to examine the existing career framework in light of changes in the education sector, including curriculum reforms and emerging issues affecting teachers’ welfare," she said.

The commission said it had gathered views from teachers, curriculum support officers and other stakeholders across the 47 counties since 2022 to assess challenges experienced in implementing the 2018 CPG currently in use.

National officials of KNUT, Kuppet and KUSNET welcomed the proposed reforms saying they address the longstanding challenge of teacher stagnation.

“We believe that what comes out of the SRC process, if it agrees with our proposals, will be the best thing for our teachers,” said KNUT deputy secretary-general Hesbon Otieno.

While welcoming the reforms, Kuppet deputy secretary-general Moses Nthurima said some outstanding issues would have to be addressed through job evaluation by the SRC, including how long a teacher should remain in a job group before automatic progression.

Kuppet wants a maximum period set for teachers to remain in a grade to prevent prolonged stagnation.

The union also wants teachers with higher academic qualifications, including master’s and doctoral degrees, to be recognised through additional career progression opportunities.

“Remember teaching is pedagogical and therefore the papers you have become very important,” Mr Nthurima said.

Also Read: Deputy principals turn to Parliament as TSC races to review career progression guidelines

KUSNET secretary-general James Torome hailed the reforms, noting the new framework recognises the specialised nature of work by teachers handling learners with special needs, giving them an opportunity to progress to the highest levels of the teaching profession.

“So the document we have signed today is meant to reward the teachers so that they can feel comfortable handling those learners because it requires a lot of patience and a lot of commitment,” said Mr Torome.

Under the proposed framework, all teachers will progress within a unified grading structure ranging from Teacher 9 being the entry-level grade, to Teacher 1, the highest grade.

For primary school teachers, entry will begin at Teacher 9, while secondary school teachers holding diploma qualifications will enter at Teacher 8. This recognises the principle that a diploma qualification should attract the same entry grade regardless of whether the teacher serves in primary or secondary education.

On the secondary school pathway, the majority of teachers will enter at Teacher 7, particularly those who hold bachelor’s degrees. These teachers will benefit from the first common cadre promotion to Teacher 6. Beyond Teacher 6, progression will increasingly be based on demonstrated competency and performance rather than automatic advancement.

For Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), the TSC has applied a similar structure but introduced two key adjustments to ensure order and flexibility. In practice, the majority of TTC lecturers will therefore enter at Teacher 5 and progress through the full career structure up to Teacher 1.

The collaborative approach in coming up with a CPG is a strategy by the Commission to ensure shared responsibility throughout the process. It also fulfils the requirement under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to conclude the review of the Career Progression Guidelines by June 30, 2026.

Procedurally, the SRC will consult the National Treasury on the financial implications of the proposed job evaluation outcomes, and once budgetary considerations are factored in and approved, the final results will be formally communicated to the TSC.

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