TSC Plans to Overhaul Teacher Internship Recruitment Rules Ahead of November Hiring Drive
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) plans to overhaul its teacher internship recruitment framework ahead of the planned November 2026 recruitment exercise, in a move aimed at aligning the employment programme with previous court orders on the hiring of trained teachers.
The anticipated changes could reshape how thousands of teachers are recruited, engaged and eventually absorbed into permanent and pensionable (P&P) employment as the government seeks to address persistent staffing shortages in public schools while responding to legal challenges surrounding the internship programme.
TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi had earlier announced that the Commission would conduct a major teacher recruitment and replacement exercise in November, with the hiring process expected to begin after the conclusion of national examinations and assessments.
The planned exercise will comprise approximately 16,000 new teachers to be recruited on internship terms to address staffing shortages in junior and senior schools, alongside 12,000 replacement teachers to be hired on permanent and pensionable terms to fill vacancies left by educators who have exited service over the past year.
However, the November recruitment drive is expected to attract particular attention because of the legal and policy questions surrounding the employment of qualified teachers under internship arrangements.
The Commission is under pressure to establish an employment framework that complies with court directives while ensuring schools receive the teachers they urgently need.
Although TSC is expected to review the rules governing internship recruitment, the exact changes and the final terms of engagement for the new recruits will depend on official communication from the Commission.
Court order puts TSC internship programme under scrutiny
The planned overhaul comes against the backdrop of a prolonged legal dispute over the legality of employing trained and registered teachers on internship terms.
The Court of Appeal previously ruled against the TSC internship programme, raising concerns about the treatment of qualified teachers as interns despite their professional training and readiness to serve in schools.
The ruling challenged the distinction between trainee interns and fully qualified teachers who have completed their training and obtained the necessary registration to teach.
The legal challenge has also raised questions about whether qualified teachers should be engaged under arrangements that offer fewer employment benefits and less job security than permanent and pensionable terms.
The Supreme Court subsequently suspended the effect of the contested decision pending further proceedings, allowing the existing programme to continue while the legal dispute remains subject to determination.
This has left TSC with the task of balancing the need to comply with judicial directions against the immediate demand for additional teachers in public schools.
Consequently, the November recruitment drive is expected to be an important test of whether the Commission can introduce new employment rules without disrupting the government’s staffing plans.
The anticipated changes could provide clarity on the terms under which newly recruited teachers will serve, the duration of their engagement and the conditions for transitioning to permanent employment.
Government plans to recruit 16,000 teachers on internship terms
The government has already announced plans to recruit approximately 16,000 new teachers on internship terms to address staffing shortages in junior and senior schools.
The recruitment is expected to form part of a broader effort to ensure institutions have adequate teaching personnel as the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system continues to expand.
Junior schools have faced staffing demands associated with the implementation of the new curriculum, while senior schools require additional teachers to support the learning pathways and subject combinations offered to learners.
The planned recruitment will therefore target areas where shortages continue to affect the delivery of education.
Nevertheless, the legal uncertainty surrounding internship employment means the 16,000 positions could become a central part of the proposed policy changes.
If TSC adopts a revised contractual framework, the new recruits and 24,000 others in junior schools who will renew their contract at the end of the year, could be engaged under terms designed to address the concerns raised over the use of internship status for qualified professionals.
Such a move would allow the Commission to continue recruiting teachers while seeking to establish an employment model that complies with the applicable legal requirements.
The November exercise is expected to attract considerable interest from unemployed graduates who have completed teacher training and are registered with TSC but have yet to secure employment.
For many of these graduates, the recruitment presents an opportunity to enter the public teaching service at a time when permanent vacancies remain limited compared with the number of qualified applicants.
Another 12,000 teachers to be recruited on permanent and pensionable terms
Apart from the 16,000 internship positions, TSC is expected to recruit approximately 12,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms to replace educators who have exited the service over the past year.
Unlike the 16,000 new internship positions, all 12,000 replacement vacancies are intended to be filled on permanent and pensionable terms.
The replacement exercise will cover primary, junior and senior schools, although primary schools are expected to receive the largest share of the available positions.
The vacancies have arisen through natural attrition, which includes retirement, resignation, death and dismissal.
Natural attrition creates vacancies that must be filled to maintain adequate staffing levels and prevent the remaining teachers from carrying excessive workloads.
In primary schools, replacement recruitment remains particularly important because institutions require sufficient teachers to deliver lessons across the curriculum and manage large numbers of learners.
The replacement positions will also help address staffing gaps in junior and senior schools, where curriculum requirements and subject specialisation determine the number and categories of teachers needed.
The 12,000 replacement positions will therefore provide eligible applicants with an opportunity to secure regular employment with the associated terms and benefits of permanent and pensionable service.
The recruitment will be separate from the internship intake, meaning applicants will need to pay attention to the employment terms specified for each category when TSC publishes the vacancies.
The two categories could bring the total planned intake to approximately 28,000 teachers during the November recruitment exercise.
However, the distinction between the two groups is important: the 16,000 positions are intended to address staffing demands through internship arrangements, while the 12,000 replacement vacancies are intended to fill established positions left by teachers who have exited the service on permanent and pensionable terms.
TSC currently has 44,000 junior school teachers serving as interns
The proposed changes will affect an existing workforce of approximately 44,000 junior school teachers currently serving under internship arrangements.
The group comprises two cohorts: 20,000 teachers recruited in January 2025 and another 24,000 recruited in January 2026.
These teachers have played a significant role in supporting the implementation of the new curriculum, particularly in junior schools, where staffing requirements have increased following the transition from the previous education structure.
However, their employment terms have remained a major concern among teachers’ unions and other education stakeholders.
The internship programme has attracted criticism over remuneration, benefits and job security for teachers who have completed professional training and are already performing teaching duties in public institutions.
The debate has intensified as more teachers complete extended periods of service without gaining permanent and pensionable status.
Under the existing arrangements, junior school interns have been receiving a monthly stipend of approximately KSh 20,000 before statutory deductions.
The deductions, including applicable social health insurance contributions, National Social Security Fund contributions and the housing levy, reduce their take-home pay.
For teachers working far from their homes, the earnings must cover accommodation, transport, food and other living expenses, leaving many struggling to meet their financial obligations.
The planned review of internship recruitment rules could therefore have implications beyond the legal status of new recruits. It could influence the broader discussion about the terms under which teachers are engaged and the conditions attached to their eventual confirmation.
First 20,000 interns to complete mandatory two-year term in December
A major development within the existing internship programme is the planned transition of the first cohort of 20,000 junior school teachers into permanent and pensionable employment.
These 20,000 teachers are part of the existing 44,000 junior school intern teachers. They are not additional recruits.
The teachers were hired on 1st January 2025 and will complete their mandatory two-year internship term on 31 December 2026.
Their recruitment into permanent and pensionable employment is therefore expected to mark a major transition of the existing junior school intern workforce into regular employment.
TSC has already advertised 20,000 positions targeting the confirmation of these experienced teachers into permanent and pensionable terms.
The application window closed in September 2026, paving the way for the next stage of the exercise.
The Commission is expected to conduct interviews and document verification in November, with the transition to permanent and pensionable terms scheduled for January 2027.
The exercise targets teachers who have served junior schools since January 2025 and are approaching the end of their prescribed two-year internship period.
Their confirmation would leave the second cohort of 24,000 teachers, recruited in January 2026, continuing under the existing internship arrangements as the government works out the next steps for the programme.
The distinction between the two cohorts is important because the 20,000 teachers due for confirmation in January 2027 have already completed nearly two years of service, while the 24,000 recruited in January 2026 have a later recruitment date.
The confirmation exercise also coincides with the government’s wider effort to resolve the legal and financial challenges surrounding the internship programme.
President William Ruto has previously announced plans to move serving interns into a contractual framework and indicated that eligible teachers would transition to permanent and pensionable terms after completing two years of service.
The President also indicated that the government intended to remove the traditional interview requirement for confirmation, with length of service forming the basis of the transition.
However, implementation of these commitments must be distinguished from the formal procedures TSC publishes and the requirements arising from applicable court orders.
What the proposed contractual framework could mean for teachers
The possibility of replacing the internship model with a contractual arrangement has generated considerable interest among teachers because it could change how newly recruited educators enter the public service.
Under the proposal previously outlined by the President, teachers currently serving as interns would move into contracts at the end of their existing terms, with a pathway to permanent and pensionable employment after two years.
The government has presented the approach as a possible compromise between the need to respond to the court’s concerns and the financial limitations affecting the immediate absorption of thousands of teachers into permanent employment.
A contractual framework could allow TSC to define the rights and obligations of newly recruited teachers more clearly, including their period of service and the conditions under which they become eligible for confirmation.
It could also provide a basis for reviewing how teachers are remunerated during their initial period of employment.
However, the precise structure of any new arrangement will depend on the formal policy and recruitment guidelines adopted by the Commission.
The President’s earlier announcement does not, on its own, establish the final terms of the November recruitment exercise.
Teachers will therefore be looking for clarification on whether the new recruits will be placed on revised contracts, whether the two-year transition promise will apply to them and how the Commission intends to implement the relevant court directives.
They will also be keen to know whether the changes will affect the scoring criteria, eligibility conditions and other requirements traditionally used during teacher recruitment.
For applicants, these details will be crucial in determining the value and long-term prospects of accepting positions offered under the revised framework.
For existing interns, the key concern will be whether the review produces a clear and reliable route to permanent employment.
November recruitment expected after national examinations
The planned recruitment drive is expected to begin after the conclusion of national examinations and assessments, according to the timeline previously outlined by TSC leadership.
The timing would allow the Commission to undertake recruitment activities after schools complete the demanding national examination period.
The November exercise is also expected to run alongside the verification process for the 20,000 junior school interns seeking permanent and pensionable employment.
This means the Commission will have to coordinate two major activities: recruiting additional teachers to address staffing gaps and processing the transition of experienced interns into permanent employment.
The process will require clear communication to prevent confusion between newly advertised vacancies and the positions reserved for serving interns undergoing confirmation.
Prospective applicants should monitor official TSC communication for the publication of the new vacancies, applicable terms of service, application deadlines and any revised recruitment requirements.
Serving interns awaiting confirmation should similarly rely on official instructions regarding interviews, document verification and the planned January 2027 transition.
Ultimately, the success of the November recruitment exercise will depend not only on the number of teachers hired but also on whether the Commission establishes an employment framework that meets legal requirements and provides clarity for teachers.
With approximately 28,000 recruitment and replacement positions planned, alongside the transition of 20,000 serving interns, the coming months will be significant for teacher employment in Kenya.
The central question is whether TSC will introduce a revised contractual model that allows recruitment to continue while addressing the concerns raised by the courts.
Until the Commission releases the final guidelines, the exact terms under which the 16,000 new interns will be engaged remain unconfirmed.
