The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is considering lowering the requirements for deploying primary school teachers to junior secondary schools (JSS).
Despite keeping the application portal for sixty six days the Commission is not anywhere close to meet its recruitment target.
Currently the application portal is still open but no significant applications are happening.
TSC targets to deploy 6,000 P1 teachers to JSS in April but the requirements for deployment seem elusive for most PTE teachers.
Initially TSC had hinted at deploying primary schools teachers holding any education related diploma and degree certificate to JSS.
However the Commission retracted on this move after being advised otherwise.
TSC had generated lists from its database containing names of P1 teachers with various Diploma and Degree certificates to be considered for deployment to grade nine.
TSC collected additional details of the teachers from primary school Heads of Institutions (HOI’s).
In an excel template TSC wanted primary school heads to provide the teachers KCSE mean grade, specialization e.g. BED ARTS, BED Primary option, BED SCIENCE, BED ECDE, BED SNE, Dip in education, Dip SNE, Dip ECDE as well as two teaching subjects with mean grade for those with secondary option.
It however rescinded on its decision and dropped the plan. Most primary school teachers have mean grade C (plain) in KCSE.
Some have however upgraded to diploma and degree certificates.
TSC will start documents verification and posting of primary school teachers to junior secondary schools next month.
Currently the online application exercise is ongoing as the Commission struggles to get P1 teachers with requisite qualifications for deployment.
The application exercise which was activated on 13th January was scheduled to end on 24th January but was extended as low number of teachers turned up to apply.
Recently officials of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) urged TSC to drop its hard stance on academic requirements for deploying P1 teachers to JSS for the sake of learners.
Instead TSC was asked to retool the PTE teachers and allow them teach the Grade 7, 8 and 9 learners.
In the deployment exercise TSC wants practicing P1 teachers to have degree in secondary option with at least C+ in KCSE and at least C+ in two teaching subjects.
The Commission has been criticized for overlooking P1 teachers who are best suited to teach subjects such as Music, Art and Craft, P.E which JSS teachers are struggling with.
Majority of P1 teachers have quality KCSE grades with diploma and degree certificates but not aligning to TSC requirement for deployment.
TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia revealed the Commission requires a total of 72,422 teachers to address the teacher shortage in JSS.
Macharia said the Commission requires a total of 149,350 teachers to handle Grade 7, 8 and 9.
She said currently TSC has employed 76,928 teachers in junior secondary representing 51.5% of the requirement.
These are 39,550 junior secondary school teachers who were first recruited on internship terms but have since been confirmed.
8,378 P1 teachers who were deployed to JSS in 2023 and 2024 and 9,000 JSS teachers recruited on permanent and pensionable terms.
The government also allocated sh 4.8 billion which TSC used to recruit 20,000 JSS teachers on internship terms.
Macharia said TSC has so far retooled a total of 229,292 teachers on Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency Based Assessment (CBA) since April 2019.
She said a total of 60,642 JSS teachers have been retooled from May 2023 to November 2024.
TSC plans to employ additional 18,000 JSS intern teachers in December to address the staffing gap.
The Commission is under pressure to address a looming teacher crisis in JSS as currently the teacher to class ratio is 1:1;
The Commission has been deploying P1 teachers since 2019 as a form of promotion after numerous complaints of stagnation from primary school teachers who upgraded their academic certificates.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021 a total of 1,000 P1 teachers were deployed each year to secondary schools while in 2022 to 2024 around 8,378 teachers were deployed to serve the first cohorts of the CBC in JSS.
The documents verification for shortlisted applicants will be done by the TSC Sub-County Director who will then issue the teacher with a deployment letter.
The Sub-County Director are under instruction to sign two deployment letters for each teacher.
One letter shall be issued to the teacher while the second original letter shall be submitted together with other deployment documents for filing at the headquarters.
The deployment will consider proximity to the current station. The teachers will be deployed to their current stations or those that are close to their current stations.
Other factors that shall be considered during the deployment will be subject combination, gender and SNE qualification where teachers with SNE qualification shall be posted to Special JSS.
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.
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.
At least 8 units in each of the two teaching subjects.
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.
It’s unfair to be kept waiting for so long why can’t they verify those who have applied then add more interns. The government is not treating it’s citizens fairly.
Those teachers teaching in private schools should be treated as tsc employees ,consider grade c plain with diplomas primary option for employment in jss
Keep waiting for BED secondary option while the learners rotting.
Tumeapply hata deployment to SNE tumechoka, nothing is coming forth.
Instead of employing Secondary school teachers to teach JS.Tsc should just deploy directly P1 teachers who were employed between 2020-2025.those teachers mind are still fresh and they can handle this Technical subjects like Music,Art and craft ,P.E because they already know what is to be taught.they are wasting resources and time to retool a teacher who did literature and fasihi surely….how can you retool someone on Music surely??????a person who has never done music??? Do not deny P1 teachers there job?? Just promote this teachers to JS directly and retool them only on how to prepare SOW and lesson plans for JS with the use of the new curriculum designs….infact we are more in primary schools now.. from Grade 1- Grade 6.
P1 teachers are really good at teaching technical subjects infact we are the one teaching it now voluntarily so consider promoting us
P1 Teachers are the best in teaching technical subjects,they are well trained and tested consider them to handle jss.
P1 Teachers are the best in teaching technical subjects,they are well trained and tested consider them to handle jss.
Already doing it
When we talk of technical subjects like music, art and craft and PHE the best teacher is a P1, with or without a degree. For the sake of quality education, consider these teacher, a big number have diplomas and degrees but are seen as just P1s, primary teachers.
How about p1 who when for upgrade program? ……..