We have stagnated for too long, principals lament to TSC

Stagnation of teachers is negatively affecting the quality of education in the country, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chair Indimuli Kahi said on Thursday. 

Kahi said lack of promotions affects the morale of the teachers and principals whose productivity consequently dips.

“We have a cadre of C3 and C4 that has really been delayed in terms of promotions. We feel C3 and C4 is a delayed cadre,” said Kahi.

Speaking at the ongoing 46th Kessha annual national conference at Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa county, Kahi said both cadres are in the band of former job group L.

In the past, people would move from job group L to job group M but when the new conversions came, job group L was divided into two levels, C3 and C4.

“So, we feel that C4 should not be there because it is just delaying people in movement,” Kahi said.

His sentiments were echoed by National Assembly Education committee chair Julius Melly, who said it is wrong to subject hard working teachers to one cadre for too long.

Melly said the committee gave the commission some Sh1 billion for teacher promotions but some teachers have stagnated in one cadre, citing the C3 and C4 teacher band and the D3 and D4 one for principals.

He said the D3 and D4 teachers should be given special consideration in the next promotions because they have not been promoted for many years.

Kahi said once promoted, D3 and D4 teachers create room for other C teachers to get to the D level.

“Remember, principals are supposed to start off from D3 and move forward to D4, D5 and so on as years go by,” the Machakos High School principal said.

“We have noticed that some cadres and really stagnated. We have quite a number of our colleagues who have told us that they have stayed in the same job group C3 for too long.”

He said some feel they are disadvantaged because of the schools which they are in, most being in sub-county schools, if opportunities are pegged on availability of space in other senior schools.

“Our view is people should be able to move because we may not have enough schools to accommodate all the people in the job cadre that is expected,” Kahi said.