Tsc And Hois Address Junior Secondary School Teacher Shortage Deployment Plans And Updates

Primary school heads of institutions (HOIs) are attending sub-county meetings across Kenya to address pressing issues for the new term. A significant topic is the utilization of primary school teachers to teach Junior Secondary School (JSS) learners to mitigate the teacher shortage in Grades 7, 8, and 9.

TSC’s Shift on Primary Teachers in JSS

On December 27, 2024, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) dismissed a fake circular prohibiting primary teachers from teaching in JSS. In reality, TSC is relying on primary school teachers to support JSS, with primary headteachers—who also serve as acting JSS principals—tasked with assigning JSS lessons to qualified primary teachers.

TSC aims to deploy 6,000 Primary Teacher Education (PTE) teachers to JSS in 2024 as part of its phased deployment strategy to address the 72,422-teacher shortage.

Progress on Teacher Deployment and Retooling

• Current Staffing Levels:
  TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia revealed that the Commission requires 149,350 teachers to handle JSS, yet only 76,928 are currently deployed—51.5% of the need.
• Deployment History:
  Since 2019, TSC has been deploying 1,000 P1 teachers annually to secondary schools. From 2022 to 2024, approximately 8,378 primary school teachers transitioned to JSS.
• Teacher Retooling Efforts:
  • Since April 2019, TSC has retooled 229,292 teachers on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency-Based Assessment (CBA).
  • Between May 2023 and November 2024, 60,642 JSS teachers underwent retooling.
  • In January 2025, 20,000 intern teachers recruited for Grade 9 classes will also undergo retooling.

Eligibility for Deployment

Primary school teachers must meet the following requirements for JSS deployment:

• A minimum of C+ at KCSE and C+ in two teaching subjects.
• A Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Secondary Option).
• Deployment preference will be given based on subject combinations, proximity to current stations, and teaching clusters.

Secondary School Teachers to Bridge the Gap

To further address the shortage, TSC plans to deploy excess secondary school teachers to JSS. These include teachers employed post-2015, whose registration and deployment were ordered in a recent memo by Dr. Nancy Macharia. Principals were required to submit teacher lists by October 18, 2024, to facilitate deployment.

Grade 9 Transition and Infrastructure Readiness

Education CS Julius Migos confirmed that 14,880 classrooms are ready for Grade 9 learners in January 2025. The government’s four-phase classroom construction initiative achieved a 93% completion rate, ensuring a smooth transition for students.

Conclusion

TSC’s phased deployment strategy and infrastructure development aim to address Kenya’s JSS teacher shortage while ensuring quality education under the CBC framework. With ongoing retooling and support from both primary and secondary school teachers, JSS is poised for progress in 2025 and beyond.

For the latest updates on teacher deployment and JSS policies, keep following this space!