Principals and deputy principals of secondary schools must be holders of a master’s degree in a relevant area under the Competency Based Education (CBC) framework, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced.

According to a document which was tabled before the Senate Education Committee on September 12, 2025, head teachers of primary schools and their deputies will be required to have a bachelor’s degree in education.

The new guidelines place greater emphasis on academic qualifications, professional development, and leadership experience.

“For a teacher to be appointed as a principal he or she must be a holder of a bachelor’s degree in education or any other recognised equivalent qualification, be a holder of a master’s degree in a relevant area and have demonstrated competence and ability both as a classroom teacher and as a deputy head or equivalent position in a post primary institution” reads the document.

The document further states that a teacher must have served as deputy head or equivalent position in a post-primary institution for a minimum period of three years, successfully undertaken the relevant Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Modules and have met the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

Initially, a master’s degree was not a requirement for promotion to the position of principal or deputy.

However, it was an added advantage, especially for those who were promoted to chief principals of national schools at job group D5.

There are around 100 chief principals manning national schools.

Meanwhile, to be appointed and deployed as a deputy head of post-primary institutions, a teacher must be a holder of a bachelor’s degree in education or any other recognised equivalent qualification, have demonstrated competence and ability both as a classroom teacher and as a senior master or equivalent position in a post-primary institution.

“Have served as a senior master or equivalent position in a post-primary institution for a minimum period of three years, successfully undertaken the relevant TPD modules and met the requirements of chapter six of the constitution,” reads the document.

However, in the criteria for appointment and deployment of heads of post-primary institutions, TSC said it shall ensure that heads of institutions do not serve in their home counties.

This is despite the abolishment of the delocalisation policy by President William Ruto.

TSC said it shall be guided by the teacher’s performance contract and annual appraisal reports, and ensure that heads of institutions do not serve in one station for a period exceeding nine continuous years.

“The requirements for appointment as deputy heads of post-primary institution, one must qualify for consideration, the teacher must be a holder of a bachelor’s degree in education or any other recognised equivalent,” the document reads.

“Qualifications include demonstrated competence and ability both as a classroom teacher and as a senior master or equivalent position in a post-primary institution, and served as a senior master or equivalent position in a post-primary institution for a minimum period of three years and successfully undertaken the relevant TPD modules,” it added.

In the appointment and deployment of the deans and registrars of tertiary institutions, the TSC said it shall ensure that they do not serve in their home counties and in one station for a period exceeding six continuous years.

However, to qualify for consideration as a dean or registrar of a tertiary institution (colleges), a teacher must be a holder of bachelor’s degree in education or any other recognised equivalent qualification, have a master’s degree in a relevant area, demonstrated competence and ability both as an assistant teacher and as a senior master or equivalent position in a post primary/tertiary Institution, and served as a senior master or equivalent position in a post primary/tertiary institution for a minimum period of three years.

For the appointment and deployment of senior masters, TSC said it substantively appoints and deploys them to institutions commensurate with their grade while considering their annual appraisal reports and ensure that they do not serve in one station for a period exceeding six continuous years.

In the appointment and deployment of head teachers of primary schools, the teacher’s employer said the tutors should not serve in their home counties and serve in one station for a period exceeding nine continuous years.

However, to qualify for appointment as a head teacher, a teacher must be a holder of Primary Teacher Education (PTE) Certificate, be a holder of a bachelor’s degree in Education or its equivalent and have served as a deputy head teacher for a minimum period of three years.

“Have demonstrated competence and ability as a classroom teacher in a primary institution; have successfully undertaken the relevant TPD Modules, meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution and any other requirement the Commission deems necessary,” said TSC.

The same requirements apply for appointment and deployment of deputy head teachers.

Candidates for deputy head teacher must have served at senior teacher level for a minimum period three years and have demonstrated competence and ability as an assistant teacher in a primary institution.

To qualify for appointment as a senior teacher, a teacher must be a holder of a PTE certificate, have demonstrated Competence and ability as a classroom teacher served as primary teacher for a minimum period of three years and successfully undertaken the relevant TPD Modules.

“All serving institutional administrators shall be substantively appointed and placed in institutions that commensurate to their grades upon full implementation of this policy. Serving institutional administrators who decline transfer or resign from administrative positions shall be exited from service,” said the teacher’s employer.

TSC further added that an institutional administrator who is unable to perform their duties on account of physical infirmity may be retired from service on medical grounds in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Regulations for Teachers.

To qualify for appointment as a senior teacher, a teacher must be a holder of a PTE certificate, have demonstrated competence and ability as a classroom teacher, served as primary teacher for a minimum period of three years and successfully undertaken the relevant TPD Modules.

“All serving institutional administrators shall be substantively appointed and placed in institutions that commensurate to their grades upon full implementation of this policy. Serving institutional administrators who decline transfer or resign from administrative positions shall be exited from service,” said the teacher’s employer.

TSC further added that an institutional administrator who is unable to perform their duties on account of physical infirmity may be retired from service on medical grounds in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Regulations for Teachers.

The employer said teachers who were converted to grades that are commensurate to administrative positions as at July 1 2017 will be deployed as such, subject to the availability of vacancies and successfully undertaking suitability interviews.

“Where there are two deputy head teachers in a school, one shall be responsible for academics and the other administration,” said TSC.

However, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) opposed the new master’s degree requirement for principals terming it abrupt and discriminatory.

Kuppet deputy secretary general Moses Nthurima said the directive risks locking out long-serving and experienced teachers who do not hold a master’s degree.

“The requirement for a master’s degree is new and will disadvantage many long serving teachers. It has come too suddenly, without giving teachers time to prepare. That means long-serving teachers who do not have master’s degrees will feel discriminated,” said Mr Nthurima.

“In the Collective Bargaining Agreement we recently signed, TSC declined to include the master’s as a requirement as one of the qualification for promotion. If they intended to move in that direction, they should have first supported teachers to pursue such qualifications,” he added.

Knut deputy secretary-general Hesbon Otieno echoed the concerns, calling for proper sensitisation of teachers before implementing such changes.

“Many teachers view current promotions as punitive. Some are promoted and then delocalised, separating them from families or moving them from hardship areas where they lose allowances like hardship,” said Mr Otieno.

He criticised the continued enforcement of delocalisation through promotions, despite President Ruto’s directive to end the policy.

“The idea that a teacher must serve outside their home county should not be part of any promotion policy. You have heard the hue and cry about promotions, which we are calling punitive because there are teachers who are getting promotions and then delocalised,” he said.

In the process of being delocalised, Mr Oyuu said they are separated from their families.

“For instance, you promote somebody in the hardship area where he or she was enjoying a hardship allowance of about Sh10,000 then you take them to an area where they will lose it and their salary will come down in the name of promotions,” he said.