How TSC Scores Teachers For Promotion And What Actually Counts

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has released a detailed breakdown of how it plans to score teachers competing for promotion, spelling out seven criteria that will determine who moves up the ranks.

The guidelines, published on the TSC website, set out a standardized scoring system that will apply to every shortlisted candidate, a move TSC says is meant to keep the process fair, transparent, and rooted in merit rather than favoritism.

1. Academic qualifications

Teachers who have gone back to school and upgraded their qualifications stand to gain more marks. TSC frames this as a reward for those who’ve invested in furthering their education and professional knowledge.

2. Acting capacity

Teachers currently holding acting positions, whether as Head of Institution, Deputy Head, Senior Master, or Senior Teacher, will pick up extra points. The thinking here is straightforward: if you’ve already been carrying leadership responsibilities without the substantive title to match, that should count for something.

3. Time spent in current grade

How long a teacher has sat in their current grade also matters. The longer someone has waited without a promotion, the more marks they’ll earn under this criterion, essentially a nod to those who’ve been patient the longest.

4. TPAD scores

The Commission will pull each teacher’s average Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) rating from the past three years. Consistently strong appraisals translate into extra marks, though TSC notes this particular criterion won’t apply to Curriculum Support Officers.

5. Seniority and experience

Years spent in the profession count too. The more experience and seniority a teacher has accumulated, the more marks they’ll rack up under this measure.

6. Extra professional assignments

Teachers who’ve taken on work beyond their regular classroom duties will also be rewarded, and this is where the list gets long. It covers assignments with bodies like the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI), and TSC’s own Teacher Induction, Mentorship, Coaching and Curriculum-Based Competency (TIMEC) programme, as well as involvement in Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) training.

Co-curricular involvement counts as well, with marks scaled to the level of participation, national, regional, or county. TSC says this is designed to recognize teachers who’ve put in work on national education programmes and broader professional development efforts.

7. Age

Finally, age itself factors into the score. Per the scoring sheet, older teachers earn more marks, with points rising incrementally across the different age brackets.

TSC maintains that applying this standardized guide across the board, to every shortlisted candidate, is what will keep the promotion exercise fair and merit-driven. The seven criteria combined will form the basis for ranking applicants ahead of promotion decisions across teaching grades.

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