The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is facing challenges in deploying primary school teachers to junior secondary schools (JSS) due to stringent qualification requirements. Despite keeping the application portal open for 66 days, the commission has struggled to meet its recruitment target of 6,000 P1 teachers for JSS by April.
Struggles in Meeting Deployment Targets
Although the application portal remains open, the response has been minimal, prompting TSC to reconsider its academic requirements. Initially, the commission hinted at deploying teachers with any education-related diploma or degree but later withdrew this plan following expert advice.
TSC had compiled a database of P1 teachers with various diploma and degree qualifications and requested additional details from school heads, including KCSE mean grades and subject specializations. However, it later abandoned this approach, citing concerns over the qualifications of many teachers, particularly those who scored a C (plain) in KCSE.
Pressure to Ease Deployment Requirements
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has urged TSC to relax its academic criteria and instead focus on retooling P1 teachers for JSS roles. Many primary teachers already hold diploma and degree certificates but do not meet TSC’s strict secondary school teaching requirements.
Currently, TSC requires deployed teachers to have a Bachelor’s degree in education with a secondary school option, a KCSE mean grade of C+, and at least C+ in two teaching subjects. Teachers with a Bachelor of Education (Primary Option) do not qualify.
Critics argue that P1 teachers are well suited to teach subjects like Music, Art and Craft, and Physical Education—areas where JSS currently faces a shortage of teachers.
Severe Teacher Shortage in JSS
TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia recently revealed that JSS is facing a significant teacher shortage, requiring an additional 72,422 teachers to meet demand. The government has so far employed 76,928 JSS teachers, representing only 51.5% of the required 149,350 educators.
To address the crisis, TSC has:
- Employed 8,378 P1 teachers deployed to JSS between 2023 and 2024.
- Recruited 9,000 JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
- Hired 20,000 JSS teachers on internship terms using a Ksh 4.8 billion government allocation.
- Plans to employ an additional 18,000 JSS intern teachers in December.
Since April 2019, TSC has retooled 229,292 teachers under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), including 60,642 JSS teachers between May 2023 and November 2024.
Deployment Process and Requirements
To ease staffing challenges, TSC has been deploying P1 teachers since 2019 as a form of promotion. Between 2019 and 2021, 1,000 P1 teachers were deployed annually to secondary schools, while from 2022 to 2024, around 8,378 teachers were assigned to JSS to support the first CBC cohorts.
The verification process for shortlisted teachers will be conducted by TSC Sub-County Directors, who will issue deployment letters and ensure that teachers are assigned to schools near their current stations.
Required Documents for Deployment Verification
Qualified teachers must present the following documents during verification:
- Original and copy of degree/diploma certificate
- Academic transcripts (original and copies)
- KCSE certificate (original and copy)
- SNE qualification (if applicable)
- Latest payslip copy
- Declaration from school head confirming active employment and no disciplinary cases
Future of JSS Teacher Deployment
As the teacher shortage worsens, TSC is under pressure to reconsider its recruitment policies. Lowering the strict requirements or expanding retooling programs could help address the crisis and ensure that learners in Grades 7, 8, and 9 receive quality education.
For now, primary school teachers who meet the current criteria are encouraged to apply, as TSC continues to seek solutions to the JSS staffing challenges.
