Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba addresses head teachers in Mombasa on June 25, 2025.
Teachers aged 57 and above who have stagnated in one job group will be the greatest beneficiaries of the 24,000 promotional slots announced this month.
New guidelines released by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) put a premium on the age of the applicants and the length of stay in their current job groups.
According to the interview scoring sheet seen by the Daily Nation, a 57-year-old who has been in the same job group for seven years automatically gets most of the marks, putting him or her on a firm path to promotion.
A teacher aged 41 and below will only get 10 marks in the age category, while a 57-year-old will have 50.
Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation at Bunge Tower Nairobi on July 29, 2025.
The scoring framework allocates marks based on several categories – academic and professional qualifications; scores in the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) tool; and additional roles like serving as examiners, trainers or resource persons.
Teachers with high academic qualifications and strong TPAD ratings will have an edge over those with none.
“The commission shall use a standardised scoring guide for fair and merit-based evaluation, considering academic qualifications, acting capacity, length of stay in grade, TPAD ratings and seniority/experience,” the scoring sheet reads.
“Other professional assignments are teachers involved with the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec), Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Special Education, the Kenya Education Management Institute, and activities conducted by the TSC Teacher Induction Mentorship and Coaching (Timec) and Compentency-Based Curriculum (CBC) training will be awarded special marks.”
Age will play a significant role in the promotions, with the system proving tough for younger teachers, who, despite strong academic credentials, will have few marks in the age and experience categories.
“To promote consistency, fairness and transparency, the commission has developed 32 grade-specific scoring guides, which shall be used in the 2025/26 financial year promotion cycle,” the scoresheet reads.
“Teachers aged 57 and above will score 30 marks, those between 52 and 56 years will score 25 marks, 47 to 51 years will score 20 marks, 42 to 46 years 15 marks and 41 years and below 10 marks.”
For chief principal (Grade D5/T-Scale 15) – the highest administrative post in public schools – the scoring is standardised and replicated across other administrative levels, including senior principal, principal, deputy principal, headteacher and senior lecturer.
“The guidelines have incorporated the salient constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, fair competition and merit. Promotions will be based on equity, fairness, merit, integrity, professionalism and affirmative action,” it reads.
Academic qualifications will carry up to five marks, with doctorate holders getting the highest score, followed by master’s and bachelor’s degrees.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation at Bunge Tower, Nairobi, on August 19, 2025.
Teachers who have served in capacities like trainers under Timec, CBC, the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (Cemastea) or who have contributed to Knec as examiners and KICD as panellists or book evaluators will earn an additional five marks.
The largest share of the marks – 50 – will be based on the length of stay in the current job group. Those with three years in the grade will score 10 marks.
Performance management assessed through TPAD will attract 10 marks. Teachers with an average rating of 81 per cent or higher over the last three years will get full scores.
TSC has encouraged teachers with disabilities to apply for the promotions.
