The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has started the process of replacing a over 1,645 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers.
The teachers are part of the 20,000 JSS teachers recruited for one year internship terms and were posted to schools in January but have secured replacement teaching jobs in secondary schools on permanent and pensionable terms.
TSC has started the process that will see the teachers internship contracts being terminated as they will be issued with employment and posting letters to start their new roles.
The posting of the teachers to schools is expected to start mid March till May 2025.
The Commission has already requested staffing data for junior secondary school section that will inform the staffing gap and appropriate action.
Details required for submission in excel template to the TSC by primary school headteachers who are also acting principals in JSS include enrolment and gender in Grades 7, 8 and 9, number of teachers and their subjects combination and their gender.
The Commission will have to balance out staff to address shortage especially of science teachers which has been a headache for schools.
The advert to replace the intern teachers will be released immediately the teachers employment process is completed.
In the replacements which is on permanent and pensionable terms TSC declared 5,862 posts for primary schools, 21 posts for junior schools and 2,824 posts for secondary schools.
The JSS intern teachers were able to secure slots in secondary schools after TSC allowed them to apply with a reward of 50 marks for their internship service.
Despite working for only two months the 20,000 JSS intern teachers were awarded 50 marks in the recruitment exercise with Commission emphasizing the importance of internship programme.
The successful applicants already filled employment forms after meeting their secondary school Principals and other vetting panelists where their documents were verified and are now waiting for official posting by the Commission after further verification of documents at the headquarters.
The vetting and documents verification exercise started on 17th February and will end on 28th February 2025.
In the recruitment there was a surge in the number of JSS teachers wanting to transition to secondary schools.
The surge in interest for secondary school jobs has been driven by dissatisfaction in working in the primary school environment.
Majority of the JSS teachers cite heavy workloads, unclear career growth, poor infrastructure and facilities and lack of motivation.
The recruitment vetting panels first gave priority to local teachers from the sub county then those from the county then those from the region and finally other teachers from other counties.
Unlike last year where intern teachers were barred from applying for advertised pnp slots this year TSC has allowed intern teachers to apply and awarded them with hefty reward.
The Commission listed the academic and professional documents that must be presented to the recruitment panel for verification exercise.
Applicants are required to present original and legible photocopies of the following, among other relevant documents for verification:-
List of documents required for verification for primary school teachers
1) National identification card;
2) Certificate of Registration as a teacher;
3) Evidence of the completion of Upgrade Diploma in Primary Teacher Education or UDPTE Certificate where applicable.
4) PTE Certificate;
5) KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one resat exam);
6) KCPE certificate or it’s equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one resat exam);
7) Letter of Certification of results by KNEC (where applicable);
8) Primary and Secondary School leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials;
9) National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);
10) An Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya to explain the variance in names.
List of documents required for verification for post primary school teachers (JSS and Secondary)
a) National identification card;
b) Certificate of Registration as a teacher;
c) Diploma/Degree certificate and official transcripts;
d) KCSE certificates or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams);
e) KCPE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams);
f) Primary and Secondary School leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials;
g) National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) Card (where applicable);
h) An Affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act, Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya to explain the variance in names;
i) Letter of certification of results by KNEC (where applicable).
However serving intern teachers are only required to present their identity cards during the
verification process.
Persons with disabilities shall be required to indicate their disability status together with the nature of disabilities to inform their placement;
After the verification exercise, the TSC Sub-County Director shall compile a Merit List of all applicants whose documents have been verified.
TSC said the Merit Lists shall be made available to members of the public wishing to see them on request in a manner that will not jeopardize the recruitment process and in total adherence to the Data Protection Act, 2019.