High Stakes in Education: Inside the 2026 TNA Survey, the Scrapping of CPG, and Teachers’ Deepening Job Security Fears
Anxiety rippled through staffrooms across Kenya following the closure of the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) online Training Needs Assessment (TNA) survey on Thursday, 10th September 2026.
Operating under the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) Programme, the nationwide digital instrument targeted key education stakeholders to systematically identify emerging professional development gaps.
Yet, far from being viewed as a routine capacity-building exercise, this milestone has intensified calls for educators to prepare for the looming rollout of Teacher Professional Development (TPD) modules.
The teaching profession stands at a precarious crossroads. A palpable sense of unease stems from a perceived convergence between the TSC’s renewed vigor in implementing TPD modules and the government’s broader, more radical push to dismantle the traditional Permanent and Pensionable (P&P) employment model in favor of short-term, performance-based contracts.
For thousands of educators, the TPD program is no longer viewed merely as a mechanism for pedagogical improvement.
Instead, it is increasingly seen as a potential gatekeeping mechanism—a prerequisite for professional licensure that may ultimately serve as the yardstick for contract renewals in a future where tenure is abolished.
The Mechanics of the 2026 TNA Survey
To understand the current tension, one must examine the scope of the assessment that concluded on September 10. In an internal memo signed by Dr. Mugwuku Nthamburi, Director of Teacher Professional Management, County Directors were tasked with absolute oversight to guarantee maximum turnout.
Officials cascaded the questionnaire link to designated participants within their jurisdictions to harvest detailed feedback regarding specific administrative and pedagogical competencies.
Targeted respondents evaluated areas requiring deeper capacity building across four key pillars:
- Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD): Reviewing execution bottlenecks and operational efficiencies.
- Remote Learning Methodologies (RLM): Assessing digital delivery literacy and alternative education frameworks.
- Teacher Induction, Mentorship and Coaching (TIMEC): Evaluating onboarding structures and peer-support mechanisms.
- School Administration and Management: Identifying emerging leadership demands in modern educational institutions.
To maintain precision and leverage expert perspectives, the TSC isolated specific stakeholder groups to complete the assessment. County Directors mobilized three primary categories of respondents: institutional leaders acting as officials of KESSHA and KEPSHA, exactly 106 Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) selected across counties who underwent specialized training in June 2026, and active TIMEC champions.
The data harvested through the platform will directly inform the review, structuring, and enhancement of future training content, anchoring the successful implementation of relevant TSC TPD Short Courses. However, beneath this administrative precision lies deep institutional anxiety.
The Paradigm Shift: From Tenure to Performance-Based Contracts
The anxiety among teachers is deeply rooted in aggressive policy signaling from the Public Service docket. In February 2026, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku cast a long shadow over the future of the civil service during the launch of the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) strategic plan for 2025–2029.
CS Ruku announced that the government is drafting a Public Service Transformation Policy aimed at phasing out permanent and pensionable employment.
Arguing that the current system breeds complacency and entitlement among long-serving officers, Ruku proposed a shift toward three- or five-year renewable contracts. Under this framework, employment would be tethered to strict performance targets.
If an officer performs properly, they receive another contract; if they fail to meet the contractual basis, they must seek employment elsewhere. For the teaching fraternity, this is an existential threat.
The hallowed ground of permanent employment—the bedrock of a teacher’s career—would vanish, replaced by a high-pressure environment where every five years, a teacher’s career hangs in the balance of a performance appraisal.
Furthermore, the TSC is currently processing a transition to scrap the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) introduced in 2018, aiming to replace them with new progression guidelines in July 2027.
The Commission has categorically stated that under these new guidelines, teachers will be promoted based strictly on performance. This policy evolution forms the scaffolding for a completely restructured public labor market.
The TPD Re-emergence: A Tool for Control?
While the government debates the contract model, the TSC has laid the infrastructure for professional accountability. In April 2026, the Commission held a high-level Stakeholder Engagement Forum at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (ISE), bringing together institutional heavyheads like the British Council, CEMASTEA, KICD, and major unions such as KNUT and KUPPET.
TSC Acting CEO Ms. Evaleen Mitei emphasized that TPD is essential for keeping teachers abreast of technological and pedagogical evolutions.
On its surface, this is a standard institutional mandate. However, for the average classroom teacher, the optics are fraught. The TPD program requires teachers to undertake six modules over a thirty-year career.
The completion of these modules is the prerequisite for obtaining a teaching certificate—a professional license that must be renewed every five years. Section 35 of the TSC Act stipulates that any teacher who fails to undertake prescribed professional development or secure a practicing certificate is prohibited from teaching.
This is where the fear of a connected agenda takes root. If a teacher requires a license to practice, that license is contingent upon TPD modules, and their employment is subsequently contingent upon a renewable contract based on performance, does the TPD become a tool for workforce pruning?
Teachers fear that failing to hit a target in an appraisal could lead to the non-renewal of a contract, while the TPD certification—demanding significant financial and time commitments—could act as an administrative barrier to retention.
Implications: How the Policy Shift Would Reshape the Profession
If the government’s proposed transformation is fully implemented, the teaching landscape in Kenya will undergo a tectonic shift, touching upon the socio-economic stability of an entire generation of educators.
The Death of Job Security: Permanent and pensionable status has long provided a stable, predictable path toward retirement. Moving to a renewable contract model shifts the power dynamic entirely in favor of the employer, turning job security into a reward for meeting volatile performance indicators.
The Weaponization of Performance Appraisal: In a contract-based system, performance appraisal ceases to be a supportive feedback mechanism and becomes an employment weapon. If renewal is tied to student grades and administrative compliance, school environments risk becoming toxic, leaving senior, higher-earning staff vulnerable to administrative pushout.
Retirement and Pension Uncertainty: Current pensions assume a multi-decade, uninterrupted career. Forcing a teacher out of service after 15 years due to non-renewal severely compromises their retirement benefits and ability to contribute to pension schemes.
The “Internship” Trap: The ongoing trend regarding Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers serves as a precursor to this broader shift. Extending contracts rather than absorbing teachers into permanent roles normalizes a contract-based labor force, making broader civil service transitions more palatable to policymakers.
Industrial Unrest: Teaching unions have historically acted as fiercest defenders of tenure. Any attempt to dilute job security through mandatory TPD-tied contracts will likely catalyze a protracted industrial and legal battle.
The Pedagogical Dilemma: Does High Pressure Equal High Achievement?
The government’s core argument is that performance contracts will end a culture of impunity, forcing educators to work harder and produce better results. However, pedagogical experts warn against the standardization of fear.
Teaching is a relational and intellectual endeavor, not a factory-floor task. When educators operate under the constant threat of non-renewal, classroom focus shifts from deep learning and creativity to “teaching to the test.”
If a teacher’s contract relies on measurable learner outcomes, they possess a professional incentive to focus solely on scorecard metrics, sidelining holistic education, character building, and the core values of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Layering burdensome TPD requirements on top of contract renewal pressures risks creating a burned-out teaching force more concerned with administrative survival than student inspiration.
Conclusion: A Balancing Act of Trust
The concerns raised by teachers are a fundamental question of what it means to be a public servant in Kenya. While the need for accountability and professional growth is universally acknowledged, the methodology matters deeply. If the TSC and the Ministry of Public Service proceed with contractual transitions, they must prepare for profound institutional fallout.
Without transparent performance metrics, independent evaluation processes, and guaranteed professional autonomy, the transition risks alienating the very people responsible for the nation’s human capital.
As the Cabinet deliberates on civil service futures and the TSC finalizes its post-TNA framework, the nation watches to see whether the government will build a system of professional excellence through support and empowerment or forge compliance through insecurity.
What specific measures do you think the TSC and unions can negotiate to protect teacher job security while still maintaining high standards of professional accountability?
