The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will deploy at least 17,000 practicing primary school teachers with Degree and Diploma qualifications to teach in junior secondary school (JSS).
These are teachers who joined accredited institutions and graduated with a Diploma or a Degree certificate in secondary option and whose certificates were acknowledged after being submitted to TSC.
The Commission plans to deploy these primary school teachers to teach Grade 7, 8 and 9 classes next year.
TSC will also employ more secondary school teachers with Diploma and Degree qualifications this month to help in teaching Grade 7, 8 and 9.
During a State House meeting it was agreed that because the JSS curriculum is secondary, during the recruitment of the 30,000 teachers, priority will be given to unemployed teachers who have qualifications to teach in secondary schools.
These are teachers who hold a Diploma in or a Bachelor of Education. TSC has planned to recruit a total of 30,000 teachers by January 2023.
A proposal has also been made for TSC to hire diploma holders from technical and vocational education training (TVET) institutions to teach pre-tech subjects offered in Grade 7, 8 and 9.
TSC is expected to advertise the teaching vacancies this month so that the teachers can report when schools open on January 23, 2023.
During the meeting, it was also agreed that although the learners in JSS will be hosted in primary schools, the curriculum is essentially for secondary school.
“JSS is secondary, only that they will share a compound with the primary school. It will have its own teachers and later even its own principal, when properly constituted,” a source said.
Already 60,000 secondary school teachers were trained on Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The training of teachers on junior secondary happened in May this year.
TSC plans to retool teachers who will handle the junior secondary classes next year.
The Commission targets to train teachers on Languages, Pure Sciences, Applied Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities and Technical subjects.
The training of Grade 7 teachers will involve these subjects and areas offered in junior secondary school section.
i. Languages – English, Kiswahili, Foreign and Indigenous Languages and Kenya Sign Language.
ii. Pure Sciences -Integrated Science Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Health Education.
iii. Applied Sciences – Agriculture, Home science and computer studies
iv. Mathematics.
iv. Humanities – Social Studies (Citizenship, Geography, History) Religious Studies, (CRE, IRE, Hindu, HRE and PPI) and live skills.
v. Technical subjects and Creative Arts – Pre vocational and pre career Business studies, music, sports and physical education Home science.