The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in Kenya has been struggling to fill senior administrative positions since December 2019.
Despite re-advertising and extending deadlines, a total of 1,001 slots remain unfilled with no applications in the past six months.
These positions include chief principals, principals, deputy principals, headteachers, deputy headteachers, senior masters and senior teachers to fill vacancies in institutions which do not have administrators.
This has left thousands of schools without permanent administrators including public schools with special needs and those with disabilities.
The commission has extended the deadline for applications by an additional seven days from June 9 to 15 to allow for more applications.
However, many schools operate without permanent administrators and are staffed by teachers in acting capacities who are not paid for their services.
The lack of senior heads poses a risk to succession plans in schools while teachers’ unions have accused the TSC of failing to promote teachers to grades that qualify them for administrative positions.
According to Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairperson Omboko Milemba, teachers are not applying for promotions because they lack the qualifications required for these positions.
A report by Kuppet revealed that there were 46,550 secondary school teachers eligible for promotion but not promoted with 24,082 stuck at C3 for more than five years.
Mr Milemba suggested that instead of paying administrators, the commission should use the money it intends to pay for administrators to promote teachers so they can qualify to take up administrator posts later.
The TSC has requested Sh2.2 billion from the government for promotions but was allocated only Sh1 billion in the Budget Appropriations Committee report tabled in Parliament last week.
In an earlier presentation to the education committee, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said they had not received a budget allocation for promotions in the past decade except in 2017.
The situation is worrying as it affects the quality of education in schools and the career progression of teachers.
The TSC needs to address this issue urgently by finding ways to attract more qualified applicants for these positions and promoting deserving teachers who have been stagnating for years.
