SEME, October 2026 – The Teachers Service Commission has unveiled a radical career progression framework that will allow classroom teachers to rise to the rank of chief principal without ever leaving the classroom, in a policy shift set to take effect in July 2027.
Speaking on Thursday at Kit-Mikayi in Seme Constituency during Nyanza’s regional World Teachers’ Day celebrations, TSC Commissioner Timon Oyucho said the new guidelines repeal the 2018 framework, ending decades of stagnation that forced teachers into administration to advance.
“We shall have a classroom teacher having the grade of the chief principal in the same school with a chief principal,” Oyucho declared. “The chief principal who is an administrator and the chief principal who is a classroom teacher shall earn the same salary.”
He explained that the only distinction will be an administrative allowance, which does not count toward retirement benefits.
“The two teachers shall retire at the same level in terms of salary and therefore shall carry home the same retirement package,” he said.
Under the framework, all heads of institutions will be redesignated as principals, effective July 1, 2027, in line with the next financial year.
“All our principals shall start from teacher grade three, all of them across the country,” Oyucho announced, adding that primary school heads will now be called principals.
The commissioner said the commission will henceforth advertise vacancies for administrators and classroom teachers separately.
“You have the leeway to choose to become administrators and compete for the number of vacancies in administration. You’ll also have a leeway to choose to remain a classroom teacher and be promoted the entire distance without involving yourself with administration,” he told teachers.
He noted that 55 educators from the region were recognised, describing them as “the crème de la crème of the teaching service within the Nyanza region,” and hinted that their awards would translate into commensurate promotions.
“We are interested in identifying the potential in every teacher and promoting that teacher all the way,” Oyucho affirmed.
The commissioner further disclosed that the awards followed a rigorous vetting process from the sub-county to the regional level, ensuring that only the most deserving teachers were honoured, a departure from past practices where officers in Nairobi selected awardees.
