Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine relationship between teacher competences and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) with empowerment as a mediating factor. Design/methodology/approach: The study took a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design. Using cluster and random sampling procedures, data were obtained from 383 usable questionnaires. Data were analyzed through SPSS and Analysis of Moment Structures. Findings: Results indicated that planning, continuous assessment and initiating as operant teacher competences were significantly and positively related to empowerment. Also, empowerment was significantly and positively related to OCBs. Similarly, empowerment came out as a full mediator of the relationship between the teacher competences and OCBs. Practical implications: The study is relevant in that heads of schools will ensure they set up and implement human resources policies and practices that are favorable to building empowerment and OCB. School heads will be able to closely adhere to planning, initiating and continuous assessment rules in order to promote teacher empowerment and OCB. Government could appraise school heads based on whether they can successfully implement operant competence related rules on the employees Originality/value: The findings theoretically reconceptualize competences from the objectivist to the constructivist perspective. Planning, initiating, continuous assessment and empowerment make significant variations in OCB. The study demonstrates that empowerment translates the inputs of teacher competence into OCB.