A section of junior secondary school (JSS) teachers will be redeployed to work in senior schools early next year as the first Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) cohorts will transition to Grade 10.
This was revealed by a top TSC official who says immediate intervention measures are necessary to avert a looming staffing crisis in senior schools.
The revelation comes after the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba admitted that government lacks specialized teachers in senior schools in readiness for the January transition.
Ogamba said some of the senior school learning areas do not have enough teachers.
He was speaking during a Citizen TV’s ‘Elimu Mashinani’ segment held in Kilifi on September 23, 2025.
Government is facing serious financial crunch and surgical measures are key to address existing education gaps.
However only serving junior school teachers handling specialized subjects and employed on permanent and pensionable (pnp) terms will be considered.
The plan comes at a time TSC want to upgrade primary school teachers popularly known as ‘P1 teachers’ to handle junior school classes.
The upgrading sponsored by World Bank will start in November this year and only P1 teachers who scored KCSE mean grade C+ and above and at least C+ in two teaching subjects will be trained.
Sources say the upgrading will take maximum of one year and the teachers will be allowed to handle Grades 7, 8 and 9 as they continue with training.
TSC has so far listed 38,849 primary school teachers who it says are qualified for the World Bank upgrading program.
To cover for the gap to be created by senior school redeployment the Commission is also recruiting a total of 24,000 junior school teachers on a one year internship term.
The teachers are currently concluding document verification exercise which will be followed by signing of TSC internship contract.
The teachers will be posted to schools in January 2025 to support the Competency Based Education (CBE).
The Education CS also noted that the government will hire another 16,000 teachers in 2026 for junior schools.
He however remained tight lipped on fate of senior schools that face dire teacher shortage.
TSC has previously said it needs sh70 billion to recruit 98,461 teachers for both junior secondary and high schools in order to address the current shortage.
The Commission has so far recruited 68,550 junior school teachers some on permanent and pensionable terms.
Former TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, while appearing before the Senate National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee early this year said they would address staffing gaps if funded.
“I would like to inform the Senate that if TSC is allocated sh70 billion, we will be able to employ all the teachers needed in our schools. In Junior Secondary, we have a shortage of 72,442 teachers, while in Secondary schools under the 8-4-4 system, we have a shortage of 26,039 teachers,” said Macharia.
TSC recruited 9,000 teachers in the 2022/23 financial year, 39,550 teachers in the 2024/25 financial year and an additional 20,000 intern teachers in January 2025 making a total of 68,550 teachers.
Should TSC redeploy the teachers, it will be a huge relief for the jss teachers especially at a time when they are fighting for institution autonomy.
According to the teachers, only through autonomy will they realize better management of junior school resources, better management and clarity on career progression.
The teachers are accusing primary school headteachers of high handedness, corruption and incompetency.
Primary school headteachers are currently principals of junior schools in acting capacity.
TSC gave them a one year mandate to act as principals. The contract runs from1st January to 31st December 2025.
Does tsc know that there are teachers who have a degree in primary option? What is their fate?
Degree in primary option considered because they learnt arts at university level, music ,art,pe
Please TSC consider these teachers because they learnt all the units required and qualified in the recommended universities and they fit in CBE because they learnt art music and PE at university level they can go for the if they meet the requirements
I am a p1 teacher already having a degree in Secondary option but not yet deployed to junior School. What could be the issue.
That’s better .
What happens to teachers who are pI but with C+ mean grade and are on with degree programs as News of upgrading is on can they be considered for joining junior secondary as they finish their program?
Can you be trained if you are graduating December for a degree and you have the qualifications
What about those with diplomas in ECDE will they be considered?
Is the upgrading program going to take one year or three years?
IT IS BETTER LET ALL JS TEACHERS BE TAKEN TO SENIOR SCHOOL…
Junior schools wrangles are being fuelled by KUPPET who want membership increase, autonomy will not satisfy junior school teachers, whether they bring other administrator who may be worse than the current Headteacher’s.
If this is effected then the government shall have killed very many birds with one stone.
The unrealistic demands from the current JS teachers shall rest forever underground.
I’ve never heard of a recruit demanding for a leadership position.
Quite immature!
Is it possible to finish degree program in one year.
Too bad that just after my retirement, an opportunity in upgrading arise after I toiled with my division I for many years without any promotion
PRIMARY SCHOOLS SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FROM GRADE ONE TO GRADE SIX. MIXING THE TWO LEVELS IN ONE SCHOOL IS EQUALLY A BIG CHALLENGE EVEN IN THE ADMINISTRATION. OUR CURRENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAVE THE CAPACITIES TO HANDLE BOTH JSS AND SENIOR SCHOOL.
Experience is the best teacher
Teachers Arena needs to verify their sources pf information before publication. It should be a reliable source for teachers to get authentic information. Stop misleading teachers that the verification exercise for 24000 teachers had started and almost nearing completion yet none of the applicants has received verification message.
True we now know for sure the verification hasn’t started but will start in December sorry for the misinformation
Let the Tsc take these autonomy issue of Jss schools serious.For sure there is alot of friction btn the jss teachers and the HOIS.Imagine they have just squandered the capitation on their own errands.As we are talking no functional laboratory is in place and whenever a requesition placed is honoured at all.Funds are just embassled as the Learners suffer.Kindly do something.