75,000 P1 teachers with ECDE Diplomas to be considered for promotion

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has opened doors for thousands of practicing primary school teachers who enhanced their PTE certificates with a Diploma in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE).

TSC database shows there are around 75,000 P1 teachers who took ECDE Diploma courses with a significant number already promoted to various grades.

Some of the teachers are currently serving as senior, deputy and headteachers with the acquired ECDE Diploma certificates.

However a big number are still serving as classroom teachers with majority stuck in job group C1.

In January 2014 TSC stopped automatic promotion for all teachers who upgraded their certificates. This had a huge impact on P1 teachers who had upgraded their certificates with an ECDE Diploma.

The Commission replaced the Scheme of Service (SoS), which favoured automatic promotion, with Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) which is blamed for mass job stagnation.

P1 teachers who, after January 2014, presented their documents to TSC for promotion were slapped with an acknowledged letter to keep with no change in job group.

However in wake of severe teacher shortage in junior secondary and a serious cash crunch facing the government, TSC is caught between a rock and a hard place.

The Commission has turned to primary school teachers with various Diplomas and Degree certificates to clear the mess in junior secondary.

TSC urgently needs 70,000 teachers to serve in junior secondary schools ahead of grade 9 launch in January next year.

Currently TSC is planning to deploy over 20,000 PTE teachers with various Diplomas and Degree certificates related to education.

P1 teachers with ECDE Diplomas have been considered and will be part of the deployments to be done in phases (September 2024 and January and June next year).

However only ECDE Diploma certificates issued by KNEC will be considered. TSC is expected to release score sheets to guide future deployments of this kind.

According to a TSC circular, teachers at grades B5 and C1 who hold a bachelors degree will be issued with appointment letters to grade C2.

Teachers at grade B5 who hold a diploma in education related field will be issued with appointment letters to grade C1.

Teachers at grade C2 who holds a bachelors degree and were promoted on or before 26th March 2021 will be issued with appointment letters to grade C3.

Teachers at grade C1 who hold a diploma certificate and were promoted on or before 26th March 2021 will be issued with appointment letters to grade C2.

Teachers at grade C1 who hold a diploma certificate and have not completed three or more years will only be issued with deployment letters but will not move a grade as well as teachers at grade C2 who hold a diploma certificate.

The Commission already generated lists from its database per county containing names of P1 teachers with various Diploma and Degree certificates for deployment to grade nine.

TSC collected additional data of the teachers from Heads of Institutions (HOI’s) that will then be followed by documents verification and subsequent posting at the sub county level.

In an excel template TSC wanted primary school heads to provide the teachers KCSE mean grade, specialization e.g. BED ARTS,BED Primary option , BED SCIENCE, BED ECDE, BED SNE, Dip in education, Dip SNE, Dip ECDE as well as two teaching subjects with mean grade for those with secondary option.

Listed for deployment were also deputies and headteachers. Currently TSC is facing staffing crisis in junior schools.

TSC has lowered the requirements to teach in junior school with teachers possessing degrees and diplomas in primary option, ECDE and SNE included for deployment.

Previously teachers were required to have degree in secondary option with C+ in KCSE as well as C+ in the two teaching subjects for deployment to junior school.

TSC is also planning to promote 9,000 primary and 3,000 secondary school teachers this year. TSC CEO Nancy Macharia revealed that sh 1 billion has been set aside for promotion exercise.

P1 teachers with ECDE Diplomas and in job group C1 are qualified for senior teacher II positionat grade C2. The senor teacher II with ECDE Diplomas are qualified for senior teacher I at grade C3.