Over 36,000 teachers are set for promotions starting next week in a race to boost education in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), their employer has told Parliament.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is also set to employ an additional 450 new secondary school teachers, according to a schedule released yesterday.
Nancy Macharia, the TSC Chief Executive, told lawmakers that out of the 36,829 teachers targeted for promotion, 10,833 from primary schools will be promoted to work in JSS.
Promotions will be effected from Monday since the identified candidates have met the requisite qualifications for deployment.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, Macharia told MPs that TSC was currently mapping the teachers after they applied for promotion through its online platform.
“The mapping process of primary school teachers eligible to teach in junior secondary schools is a continuous process and verification of the mapped files is still ongoing to identify more teachers eligible to be posted to JSS,” she told legislators.
According to the commission, qualification for deployment to JSS include a Diploma in Education, Bachelor’s degree in Education, at least a C +plus mean grade in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) examination or its equivalent and at least C Plus in the two teaching subjects at KCSE or its equivalent.
At university, one must have studied at least eight units in each of the two teaching subjects.
The deployment of the teachers will be over and above the 30,550 primary teachers who were distributed to JSS for Grade 7 earlier this year. During that phase, the commission allocated one teacher per class for all the Grade Seven classes in public schools countrywide.
Said Macharia: “While the teacher establishment for Grade Seven level is 61,000 (at least two teachers per class), the commission had recruited 30,550 teachers (one teacher per class), bringing the teacher shortage at Grade Seven to 30,550.”
The move comes at a time when there is congestion in JSS due to high number of new learners owing to infrastructural strain in some schools and high fees charged by private institutions.
On the hiring of the 450 secondary school teachers, Macharia announced that this will commence immediately after the close of the ongoing recruitment drive.
The vacancies arose after TSC recruited 35,550 teachers out of the 36,000 slots that they had been allocated.
Of these, 9,000 posts were on permanent and pensionable terms of service for JSS, 1,000 posts were on permanent and pensionable terms of service for primary school teachers, 21,550 posts for teacher interns in JSS and 4,000 posts for teacher interns in primary schools.
“As of June 2022, the commission was faced with teacher shortage of 116,000 (48,327 at primary level and 67,673 in post-primary instructions countrywide,” said Macharia.
The promotion of the remaining 25,996 teachers for the financial year 2022/2023, will be subject to budgetary allocation.
Out of the 25,996 teachers, 11,258 will be promoted in the Common Cadre promotions, which benefit teachers in Job Group J (C1), K (C2) and L (C3). A promotion from Job Group J to K and K to L is done after three years of satisfactory performance.
A total of 13,717 teachers will be promoted through competitive promotion where a teacher will be required to make an application online, complete the Teacher Proficiency Course or promotion interview administered by the commission for that purpose.
Another 1,021 teachers will be promoted through affirmative action in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and hard to staff areas. The commission allocates an additional five per cent of teaching posts declared in the country to such areas.
Local teachers are recruited and retained in these areas to ensure optimal staffing levels and stability.
Macharia said that to competitively promote 12,634 teachers in the current financial year, the commission requires at least Sh2.17 billion.
The shortage of teachers in ASALs and hard to staff areas is as a result of the diverse subjects taught in the schools, huge enrolment and high number of learning institutions in those counties.
Macharia told the lawmakers that promotions are done through a set criteria, which include availability of funds, existence of vacancies, merit and ability as reflected in a candidate’s work performances, seniority and experience, annual performance records and academic achievements.
“Promotion of teachers in public service is premised on Regulation 73 of the code of regulations for teachers, the career progression guidelines and the policy on selection and appointment of institutional administrators,” she said.
Meanwhile, Macharia told the lawmakers that the commission had stopped the delocalisation of teacher and to this effect transferred all the 14,733 teachers who had requested for transfers as at November 30 last year.
“To address the issue raised during implementation of the delocalisation policy, the commission stopped implementation of the said policy, has and continuous to transfer teachers who apply for transfer to their home counties.
It has also commenced review of the code of regulation for teachers (2015) to address emerging issues in the teaching sector,” said Macharia.
Her meeting with MPs came against the background of complaints raised by teachers about high numbers of learners seeking to be enrolled in Grade Seven and a shortage of textbooks and other instruction materials.
The high numbers have strained teachers, making it necessary for TSC to go back to the drawing board, hence the decision to promote some of its staff.
Why are they saying that they have transferred all delocalised teachers who had applied transfers as at Nov 2022???
I applied mine in Sep 2022 on medical grounds,attatched evidence letter from a public medical doctor,it was recommended and acknowledged but up to now I am still held up in Nyandarua county.
Wanipatie barua yangu niondoke soonest possible please.
I’m one person who was left out on promotion to new progressive system due to lack of information.i have a letter as senior TR.but old ,what can I do so that you equat it be current?
Let tsc honour TRS the way they have done to TRS is not good. Macharia should know over decades she has not done well frustrating union of TRS Knut until soliciting the removal of Sossion. Let them come clean, TRS have children like any other citizens of this country, when paying school fees they pay like those earning over Sh100000 style up tsc
Who’ll head the Junior Secondary schools?
I applied for transfer in August 2022 on child medical grounds. My son who is autistic is taken care by a househelp alone while I work far away. I can’t be with him because of his schooling & medication reasons. I wonder the TSC secretary response that all who applied have been transferred!!!!! I’ve been at the corridors of CD & RD’s offices seeking for assistance while I’m told to look for a school, at the same time there are no vacancies in the schools! Can’t understand the logic of all these transfers!! Kindly seeking for help!!
Some of us acted in various school for even three years.used and dumped by the teachers suffering commission
Am a working in T/N County.My spouse teaches in Kitui.She has been applying for a transfer under medical grounds from 2019,last being Nov 2022.Our kid is always in hospital admissions..very distressing as Iv sometimes to accompany them I Nrb hospital among others.Her visits to CD & RD’s seeking on her transfer progress have been turned down.Can TSC address medical issues & release transfer for these suffering families?
Surely madam find a place in your heart to promote teachers who have degrees in special needs too where are we?
Why is the TSC transferring teachers to stations that are not in the Three options a teacher had requested?
Infact in most cases a teacher is being taken to a station more inconvenient than where they were.
It’s like teachers are being punished for requesting a transfer.
As a victim I’m very sad.
Kindly let the commission consider teachers who have degrees in education irrespective of high school grade this is a teacher who has been teaching for decades and has experience and has gone for upgrade ,why say Degree primary option is not a degree yet that’s the course which has all the learning areas needed in Jss , secondly we also did all the common units needed and 8units in each course our teaching practice was purely CBC kindly review your grade , and promote teachers ,teachers are frustrated
Why are they belittling degree in primary option and if you look at the units coverage is the same as the ones in jss if someone had C+ and has degree he should be considered yawa
The way teachers’ issues are handled in this country is frustrating and malicious.Who ever said primary school teachers cannot teach in junior secondary is misleading Kenyans.Most of this subjects taught in JSS have been taught to these teachers.Subjects like Music,Art & craft,Home Science,Business Studies,Physical Eduation[PHE or physical education & Sports],Agriculture were taught in our TTCs in a very advanced way.Some of the TTCs had Computer schools and offered certificates after successful completion.Majority of these teachers scored C+ or B- mean grade in their KCSE. Some of these teachers did as many subjects as ten.Why are they taken for granted.?
Leave alone their job group, they can do wonders if based on compentency.I am convinced to understand now that primary school teachers are overlooked. The age of these children in JSS needs primary teachers more.
The approaches in teaching these children at their age can best be done
by purely primary teachers.
CBC in dilemma!!!
Mr.Evans Abaya ~TR.