TSC defends three-year promotions waiver rule
By Faith Macharia, May 29, 2025Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has defended the waiving of the standard three-year requirement for promotions, citing a shortage of qualified candidates for administrative posts.
In a status report dated May 22, 2025, and presented to the Departmental Committee on Education, the commission said it had initially planned to fill 25,252 promotional vacancies announced in November 2024.
However, only 5,690 of the posts could be supported by the Sh1 billion allocated by the National Assembly, with the remaining 19,598 positions arising from projected staff exits between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
“As earlier presented before this committee, out of the 25,252 teachers promoted, a total of 5,291 teachers were promoted without the requisite three years in service in one grade,” the report reads.
The commission has asked Parliament to allow these teachers to retain their new positions, citing a continued national shortfall of eligible candidates.
The report identifies two administrative grades, Grade C4 (Deputy Headteachers) and Grade D3 (Principals) as particularly affected by a shortage of qualified teachers.
“In the Commission’s database, only 598 teachers had served for three years and above in grade D2 as at the date of the advert and therefore, were eligible for promotion to Grade D3 as per the Policy, yet there were 1,410 vacancies in Grade D3,” the report stated noting that similarly, just 7,460 teachers qualified for the 3,686 vacant Deputy Headteacher posts.
In line with its policy of shortlisting at least three applicants per vacancy to ensure merit-based promotions, the TSC noted that the number of qualified applicants fell significantly short of the required threshold.
Addressing shortage
“To address the persistent issue of teachers serving in acting capacities and to ensure these key positions are filled, the Commission made a policy decision to temporarily waive the three-year requisite service in one grade. Teachers with a minimum of six months’ service were allowed to apply,” the report states.
According to the report, the objective of the waiver was to attract sufficient applicants for these key positions and to also address the perennial problem of teachers acting in administrative positions and the shortage of applicants.
As a result of the waiver, Grade D3 attracted 1,694 applicants for 1,410 vacancies, while Grade C4 drew 4,521 applicants for 3,686 slots.
Still, the commission noted that while over 10,000 teachers could have applied for the Deputy Headteacher roles, less than half submitted applications.
Additionally, the TSC has prioritised promotions for teachers who have served seven years in the same grade and have three or fewer years remaining until retirement.
Responding to earlier concerns from the Committee, the Commission has committed to developing and publicising clear promotion guidelines. These will set out transparent and standardised criteria for future promotions.
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