TSC Announces Mandatory Teaching Hours for Principals, Deputies and Senior Masters in New School Staffing Guidelines

TSC Announces Mandatory Teaching Hours for Principals, Deputies and Senior Masters in New School Staffing Guidelines

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has officially outlined mandatory teaching workloads for school administrators in senior schools, reaffirming that principals, deputy principals and senior masters will continue handling classroom lessons alongside their leadership and management responsibilities.

The new staffing guidelines, which come amid ongoing discussions on the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), provide a detailed framework on how teaching duties will be distributed among school administrators depending on the size of their institutions.

The announcement is expected to affect thousands of secondary schools across Kenya as education stakeholders seek greater clarity on the role of administrators in classroom instruction and school management.

According to the regulations released by the commission, school administrators will remain active participants in teaching despite carrying significant administrative responsibilities.

For schools with between one and six classes, principals will be required to teach 15 lessons per week, deputy principals 24 lessons, while senior masters will handle 27 lessons weekly.

In institutions with seven to 12 classes, principals will teach 12 lessons per week, deputy principals 18 lessons and senior masters 24 lessons.

For larger schools with 13 classes and above, principals will teach 10 lessons weekly, deputy principals 15 lessons, while senior masters will continue handling 24 lessons per week.

The guidelines demonstrate a deliberate effort by TSC to balance leadership duties with classroom engagement, ensuring that school administrators remain directly involved in the teaching and learning process.

Education experts note that the structure reflects the increasing administrative burden that comes with managing larger institutions.

As schools grow in size, administrators are expected to spend more time overseeing operations, supervising staff, managing resources and ensuring compliance with education policies.

“The lesson allocation reduces as the size of the institution increases, reflecting the heavier management and supervisory responsibilities carried by school leaders,” the guidelines indicate.

The commission further maintained that regular classroom engagement by administrators helps improve curriculum delivery, strengthen instructional leadership and enhance communication between teachers and school management.

Under the revised staffing framework, the standard teaching load for ordinary teachers in senior schools remains 27 lessons per week, with each lesson lasting 40 minutes.

TSC explained that teacher staffing requirements will continue to be determined using a formula that takes into account the total number of lessons offered in each subject as well as the reduced workloads assigned to school administrators.

The formula calculates staffing needs by combining the total lessons required in a school with the lesson deficits created by administrators’ reduced teaching schedules before dividing the figure by the standard 27 lessons per teacher.

Education stakeholders have welcomed the clarification, saying it provides certainty on staffing arrangements at a time when schools are adapting to changing curriculum demands and increasing enrolment numbers.

The announcement also comes weeks after TSC dismissed a widely circulated social media poster claiming that the commission was considering proposals to exempt principals and headteachers from classroom teaching duties.

At the time, the commission termed the information misleading and urged members of the public to rely only on official communication channels for policy updates.

The latest guidelines now firmly settle the debate by confirming that school administrators will not be exempted from teaching responsibilities.

“Administrators will remain actively involved in classroom instruction while continuing to discharge their school management functions,” the guidelines emphasize.

The move is expected to strengthen accountability within schools by ensuring that administrators maintain direct interaction with learners and remain familiar with classroom challenges and curriculum implementation.

As Kenya continues rolling out education reforms under CBC, TSC says the balance between leadership and teaching remains essential in improving learning outcomes, supporting teachers and ensuring effective management of schools across the country.

The guidelines are likely to shape staffing decisions, workload planning and educational leadership strategies in schools nationwide as institutions prepare for future curriculum and administrative demands.

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TSC Announces Mandatory Teaching Hours for Principals, Deputies and Senior Masters in New School Staffing Guidelines