The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced fresh measures to address long-standing concerns over the stagnation of teachers in the same job groups for years, with a special focus on elderly educators nearing retirement.

In its latest announcement, TSC has made public 21,313 promotion vacancies and issued new guidelines that heavily favour older teachers who have been in service for decades without career progression.

In the new promotion framework, age has been given the highest weight, a move that is expected to directly benefit teachers aged 57 years and above. According to the official TSC promotion scoresheet, teachers in this category will automatically earn 30 marks, positioning them ahead of their younger colleagues.

Those aged between 52 and 56 years will be awarded 25 marks, while educators between 47 and 51 years will get 20 marks. Teachers aged below 41 years, on the other hand, will only earn 10 marks, significantly reducing their chances of securing a promotion under the new scheme.

The TSC formally declared the vacancies on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, inviting eligible teachers to submit their applications. Applications are to be completed online, and teachers have been given a two-week window to express interest in the advertised positions. The deadline for submission has been set at midnight on Monday, August 25, 2025. The promotion opportunities span across various job groups ranging from C1 to D4.

While the new framework has been welcomed by some teachers who have spent years waiting for upward mobility, younger teachers have raised concerns that the scoresheet appears skewed against them. Promotions will largely be determined by three main factors: age, the number of years a teacher has served in their current grade, and whether or not the teacher has acted as a school administrator in the past.

Service duration in a current job group has been given similar weight to age in the scoring criteria. Teachers who have remained in the same job group for at least seven years will also earn 30 marks, while those with six years will be awarded 25 marks.

Serving for five, four, or three years in the same job group will fetch 20, 15, and 10 marks, respectively. This, according to TSC, is aimed at ensuring that teachers who have demonstrated patience and commitment over long periods are rewarded with career progression opportunities.

Interestingly, the Commission has given far less emphasis to academic and professional qualifications compared to age and years of service. Academic papers, which traditionally carried significant weight in teacher promotions, will only contribute a maximum of three marks out of the total 100.

Holders of PhDs will earn three marks, master’s degree holders two marks, and bachelor’s degree holders just one mark. Teachers with diploma qualifications will not earn any marks for their certificates. This radical shift indicates that TSC is prioritizing service and experience over educational achievements in the current promotion cycle.

The Commission, however, has clarified that only teachers who have served for at least three years in their current job group will be considered for promotion, except in hardship and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) areas. For teachers in these regions, affirmative action will apply to ensure fairness and inclusivity.

The latest move by TSC Is seen as a direct attempt to address the grievances of senior teachers who have long decried stagnation in the same grades despite years of dedicated service. At the same time, the criteria have sparked debate within the teaching fraternity, with younger educators expressing fears of being locked out of career advancement opportunities.

With over 21,000 positions on offer and a clear bias towards older teachers, the promotion drive is expected to significantly reshape the leadership structure within schools across the country. How the policy will balance the interests of both junior and senior teachers remains to be seen, but what is clear is that experience and age will carry the day in the 2025 TSC promotions.