The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced a new initiative that will see teachers excelling in co-curricular activities receive automatic promotions, bypassing the traditional interview-based process.
Under the plan, teachers who consistently perform well in areas such as sports, music, drama, and science competitions will either be promoted directly to the next job group or awarded scores that enhance their chances during promotion interviews.
TSC Director of Staffing, Antonina Lentoijoni, instructed County Directors to create and maintain a comprehensive database of teachers who excel in co-curricular disciplines across all education levels.
“The database shall be used by the Commission whenever required to support planning, recognition, and other teacher management interventions. Compliance is mandatory, and the records must be readily available upon request,” said Lentoijoni in a memo dated February 9th.
Background: Recognition of Co-Curricular Excellence
Previously, TSC promoted teachers excelling in sports, drama, science congresses, and other extracurricular activities.
However, after moving from the Schemes of Service (SoS) to Career
Progression Guidelines (CPG), recognition for co-curricular achievements declined. Certificates earned in these areas received minimal credit during promotion interviews, and by January–February 2025, sports certificates were completely excluded from scoring.
Instead, teachers were awarded points for supervising, invigilating, or marking national exams.
This shift prompted protests from teachers recognized for outstanding achievements in sports, drama, agriculture, and science.
Organizations such as the Kenya Primary Schools Sports Association (KPSSA) and Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSA) formally requested TSC to reinstate recognition for co-curricular accomplishments.
Database to Capture Teachers’ Achievements
In response, TSC has now begun compiling a database to document teachers who excel in mainstream co-curricular activities.
The records will cover four levels of participation: Sub-County, County, Regional, National, and East African. County Directors are tasked with recording teachers’ achievements in the following disciplines:
a) Sports (Primary, Junior, Senior, and SNE Institutions)
Coaches (Position 1, 2, 3 teams and Position 1 composite activities)
Referees/Umpires
Technical Officials
b) Sports (Teacher Training Colleges, TTCs)
Coaches (Position 1, 2, 3 teams and Position 1 composite activities)
Referees/Umpires
Technical Teams/Officials
c) Drama and Film (All Education Levels and TTCs)
Directors
Producers
Adjudicators
d) Music (Kenya National Music Festivals, All Levels)
Directors
Adjudicators
e) Kenya Science and Engineering Fair (KSEF)
Advisors/Mentors
Project Directors
Technical Teams/Officials
Judges
The records will include each teacher’s TSC number, name, institution, education level, county, discipline, specific role, position, and level of participation.
Lentoijoni emphasized that the data must be accurate, complete, current, and verifiable, with annual updates submitted to TSC as required.
Budget and Implementation
TSC acting CEO Evelyn Mitei is currently seeking Sh2 billion in the July budget to cover the promotion of 50,000 teachers.
Last year, President William Ruto promised during a meeting with teachers at State House to double the number of annual promotions from 25,000 to 50,000 by increasing the promotion budget.
This new move is expected to incentivize teachers to actively participate in co-curricular activities while ensuring their achievements are fairly rewarded in career progression.
Tags
Education