TSC nominee proposes promotion reforms amid stagnation

Teachers should be allowed to rise through the career ladder without being forced into administrative roles, Teachers Service Commission nominee Antonina Lentoijoni has said.

Speaking during her parliamentary vetting on Thursday, August 20, Lentoijoni said the existing career progression framework had contributed to stagnation among teachers, particularly those who want to advance while remaining in classroom teaching.

“All teachers were promoted in 2017. We have stagnated for nine years, yes, but the biggest challenge is the Career Progression Guidelines 2018 because if they have to move up, one has to change to be an administrator when they reach a certain grade,” she said.

According to Lentoijoni, the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines present a challenge for teachers seeking to move to higher grades, adding that there should be two career pathways to allow those who excel in classroom teaching to progress without having to become administrators.

“What we are doing is that the new Career Progression Guidelines are flexible has two pathways. Teachers who are good in class can move all the way to chief principal without going through administrators, but if they want to be administrators, they can still do that,” she said.