The year is ending on a disappointing note for some 14,738 teachers who were due for promotions that have since been cancelled.
Some of the teachers have been in the same job group for years. This is quite demotivating for the teachers, including principals who were interviewed in April but have not heard from the employer.
The decision by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has, naturally, sparked protests. The vacancies arose as a result of resignations, retirement and deaths.
The delay in filling them only postpones the problem and creates a succession crisis.
Besides, many teachers have been holding those managerial positions in an acting capacity in the hope of confirmation.
That simply means when schools reopen next month there will be some gloomy souls among these professionals who make the core contribution to the education system.
The delay also denies them their rightful remuneration and benefits that would have made a difference in their well-being,
There are some tough challenges ahead, including the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the discontinuation of boarding school for some grades.
Low morale among teachers over the frozen promotions could further dampen their spirits and hamper achievement of the plans.
Like any other professional, teachers expect a clear career progression, which is manifested through promotions—such as these ones that have now been put on hold.
This despite the fact that the teachers’ employer has in the past two weeks appeared before the National Assembly’s Education and Research Committee over the unsettling matter.
Indeed, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) had asked the TSC to, instead, increase the number of vacancies to redress the sorry situation. The bulk of the promotions had been earmarked for primary schools with only 3,392 allocated for secondary schools.
TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia blames the lack of additional budgetary allocations for the promotion of teachers in the past 10 years. This is not good for the teaching profession. It is a matter that new Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu should give greater attention to.
Teachers deserving promotions for a job well done should not be made to wait for too long for their reward.
