Primary school teachers who were recently deployed to teach Grade 7 learners in junior secondary school will have to wait longer before starting to enjoy their new salaries.
The first cohorts, who applied by 6th February 2023, were deployed to junior secondary schools after their documents were verified by their Sub County Directors who were issued with lists of shortlisted teachers.
The teachers were issued with deployment (posting) letters which showed they will start at job group C2.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in a circular dated 17th February 2023 had said it received a total of 10,833 requests from qualified primary school teachers for deployment to Junior Secondary Schools.
To hasten payment of deployed teachers TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia gave clear directive to Sub County Directors and Primary Headteachers releasing and receiving the teachers.
“Immediately the teachers are deployed to JSS, the County Directors shall initiate posting on the Posting, Entry/ Exit Reports Module to the Sub-County. The Sub-County Director shall post the teachers to JSS,” said TSC CEO Nancy Macharia in the circular.
She ordered Heads of Institution (HOI) releasing the teachers to immediately exit them through the submission of Exit Reports to enable the receiving Head of Institution to submit the Entry Report.
All these processes, she said must be conducted online through the Posting, Entry/Exit Reports Module as the Commission no longer recognizes nor process hard copy casualties.
“Where the teacher is retained in the same station, the Head of Institution shall exit the teacher from primary school and submit Entry Report for the JSS,” said Macharia.
However details have emerged that some teachers were approved to teach in junior secondary without proper documentation.
Details say some teachers do not meet the TSC requirements to teach in junior secondary yet they were deployed.
Because of this the Commission is physically scrutinizing the documents for the deployed teachers at the headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
The Commission will be checking for validity of the documents used during application to ensure there are no forgeries.
Those who will be found culpable will be disciplined according to the TSC code of regulations for teachers.
Verification of documents at the headquarters usually takes two to three months. This means the deployed teachers should expect their new salaries with arrears from the month of June.
The Commission will also organize training of the deployed teachers on Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency Based Assessment (CBA).
The Commission is currently recruiting trainers for the JSS teachers on pedagogical content Knowledge (PCK) in Counties.
Below are the requirements that applicants must meet for them to be considered:
- Must be a practicing teacher employed by the Teachers Service Commission to teach in a public school or teacher training college within the county.
- At least a Bachelor’s degree in education or a BSc/BA with PGDE in the specified subject/learning area.
- Must have at least five (5) years teaching experience.
- Must be proficiency in ICT packages such as MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint among others
- Must NOT be serving as head or deputy of an institution.
- The following will be an added advantage:
- Being a SMASE County trainer
- Being a School Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) trainer.
- Being a CBC Champion teacher.
- Being a subject panelist with KICD
- Being a KNEC Examiner in the respective subject area cluster
- Being an ICT Champion teacher.
- Resourcefulness in terms of publication of books and periodicals in the relevant subject/learning area
TSC is yet to deploy the second cohorts of practicing PTE teachers to junior secondary schools whose application ended on 22nd March 2023.
The document verification and posting will be done simultaneously by TSC Sub County Directors after getting lists of applicants from the Commission.
Most deployed teachers are primary school teachers in job group C1 followed by those who are in job group B5.
Salary for a deployed C2 teacher
Basic salary 34,955
House allowance (other areas) 7,500
Hardship 10,900
Commuter 5,000
Leave(paid only in January) 6,000
Those deployed (with degree certificates) will be placed at job group C2 where they will serve for a period of three years before being moved automatically to job group C3.
Those B5 teachers with diplomas will however start at job group C1 where they will serve for a three year period then they will be elevated to job group C2 automatically.
TSC has also deployed primary school headteachers who have junior secondary domiciled in their stations.
TSC Sub County Directors issued the headteachers with deployment letters to serve as Principals of junior secondary schools for one year.
The Commission ordered the Sub County Directors to ensure the teachers are deployed to their current stations or those that are close to their current stations.
TSC said teachers with SNE qualification should be posted to Special JSS.
TSC is under pressure to allow primary school teachers with other degree and diploma certificates to teach in junior secondary.
Primary School teachers wishing to be deployed to JSS must be qualified to teach in secondary schools. The teacher MUST meet the following requirements:
i) Have an active registration as a teacher with the Teachers Service Commission.
ii) Is employed as a primary school teacher with the Teachers Service Commission.
iii) Should not be currently serving an interdiction or undergoing a disciplinary process.
iv) Have a minimum of a Diploma in Education with a minimum of C+ at KCSE (or it’s equivalent) with C+ in two teaching subjects currently being offered in the school curriculum (either under 8-4-4 or CBC) or two (2) principles and one (1) subsidiary pass at “A” Level.
Those with a minimum of C (plain) at KCSE (or its equivalent) and have undertaken a Diploma in Education together with a Bachelor Degree in Education qualify.
v) The degree certificate must be Bachelor of Education. Bachelor of Education (Primary Option) holders are not eligible.
vi) Must have expressed interest to be deployed to Junior Secondary School and their name is in the list shared from the Headquarters.
Candidates are expected to present the following documents during verification exercise:
i) Original and copy of the degree/diploma certificate;
ii) Original and copies of the academic transcripts;
iii) Original and copy of SNE qualification (where applicable);
iv) Original and copy of the KCSE certificate (or its equivalent);
v) A copy of the current payslip;
vi) A declaration by the Head of Institution that the teacher is currently serving in the school and is neither serving an interdiction nor undergoing a disciplinary process.
I don’t like it….. when salary is paid in arrears,tax inakatwa kubwa kuliko when one is taxed on monthly basis.
What about those with C plain and had done pre-university course and they did their degrees progressively?
This is a tactic by tsc to do business with teachers’ money for three years ( compound interest). There after, high taxes levied on what they call arrears. Man eat man society is what Kenya has turned into of late.