We are in the midst of a busy moment in the country’s educational calendar. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is conducting a statewide retooling exercise for teachers in preparation for the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Nevertheless, in the midst of it all, interviews for teacher deployment to junior secondary schools (JSS) are also in full gear.
Nonetheless, the JSS deployment exercise has not been without criticism. Numerous teachers have complained about the qualification standards utilized for promotion.
Benta Opande, CEO of the Kenya Women Teachers Association, has urged for automatic teacher promotion to solve the issues that the teaching profession faces in Kenya.
She has also directed that the Teachers Service Commission do an evaluation of the mechanisms for promoting teachers and provide more clarity (TSC).
Automatic teacher promotion would entail developing a system that promotes teachers based on their years of service and classroom performance evaluations.
This method will recognize and motivate teachers for their hard work and dedication to their profession while removing the need for teachers to go through a time-consuming promotion process that may be prejudiced, unjust, and unpleasant.
It would also provide teachers with a clear path for growth and real incentives for their hard work and dedication.
Opande acknowledges the difficulties in implementing automatic teacher promotion, such as ensuring that the promotion standards are fair and objective.
But the advantages are obvious. By rewarding teaching excellence, the education system would be able to attract and retain the greatest teachers, resulting in better student outcomes.
“Teaching has often been regarded as a thankless profession, with little acknowledgment and respect for the hard work and dedication required.”
It would also assist in raising the status and reputation of the teaching profession, making it more appealing to young people as a career option.
Furthermore, automatic teacher promotion recognizes the value of teaching experience. Skilled teachers possess a variety of knowledge and abilities that they may share with their students.
The approach encourages teachers to stay in the profession and continue to enhance their abilities by promoting them based on their years of service.