TSC Unveils New Career Guidelines For Teachers
Teachers who bring home trophies, top national exam results and science fair wins could soon have an edge when promotions are decided.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is reworking its Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) so that performance counts for more than the time a teacher has spent in one grade. The new framework is expected to be made public after talks between the commission and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Acting TSC CEO Evaleen Mitei has said a teacher’s ability to bring talent into the curriculum will weigh in the new structure. In practice, a teacher who coaches a winning football side, builds a strong drama or music group, or gets learners to perform well in exams may be better placed than one who simply teaches the lessons and waits for a promotion.
Those who help learners build practical skills under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), and teachers recognised through the Wajibika Awards or the Teacher of the Year Awards (TOYA), are also expected to benefit.
The TSC presented its proposal to stakeholders in June 2026. It would cut the number of career levels in the teaching service from 56 to 43, with separate structures for primary schools, junior and senior schools, special needs institutions, teacher training colleges and curriculum support officers.
The grades would be split into two groups, common-cadre and competitive. Teachers would move through the common-cadre grades by meeting the set requirements. Beyond that point, promotion would depend largely on competition and proven merit.
That ends the assumption that the longest-serving teacher is automatically first in line. A teacher who has stayed in one grade for years but has a strong record in teaching, mentoring learners and co-curricular work could now beat a colleague who has no comparable achievements to show.
Experience won’t become irrelevant, however. The final CPG will decide how years of service sit alongside performance, qualifications, appraisal records and other requirements. What changes is that length of service alone will no longer carry the same weight in competitive promotions.
The shift matches the government’s wider push for a public service that rewards productivity and measurable results over seniority.
Much still depends on the final document, though. How performance will be measured, and how heavily each indicator will count towards an individual teacher’s promotion, will only be clear once the guidelines and their implementation rules are released.
Read Also: TSC To Recruit And Replace Teachers in November, What P1 And DPTE Holders Need To Know
