Over 20,000 Teachers Set for Junior Secondary Deployment in 2025
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced plans to deploy thousands of secondary school teachers to junior secondary schools (JSS) starting next year.
This initiative aims to address the acute teacher shortage in JSS as the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) continues to be implemented.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) national chairperson, Omboko Milemba, disclosed during the Kuppet Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) in Vihiga that the union had attempted to block the deployment of secondary school teachers to JSS.
However, these efforts were unsuccessful. Despite initial denial by the TSC about such plans, sources confirm that the Commission is finalizing arrangements to deploy over 20,000 secondary school teachers to JSS in 2025.
Registration and Deployment Process
In preparation for this deployment, TSC issued a memo to Regional, County, Sub-County Directors, and secondary school principals.
The memo, signed by TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia, instructed the registration of secondary school teachers employed after 2015 to facilitate their deployment to JSS.
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School principals were directed to submit the names of eligible teachers to Sub-County Directors by October 18, 2024.
Additionally, the Commission has already recruited 20,000 teachers for JSS on internship terms, with these teachers expected to begin work in January 2025 under a one-year contract.
Addressing Teacher Shortages and Excess Staffing
The implementation of CBC has resulted in excess staffing in secondary schools as there will be no Form One classes from January 2025.
To manage this surplus, TSC plans to deploy these idle teachers to JSS near their current workstations.
The deployment will be determined by subject combinations, commonly referred to as subject clusters.
Furthermore, TSC has indicated that a limited number of primary school teachers will also be deployed to handle grades 7, 8, and 9.
Past and Ongoing Recruitment Efforts
Since 2019, TSC has been addressing teacher shortages in JSS by deploying P1 teachers who upgraded their academic qualifications.
Between 2019 and 2021, 1,000 P1 teachers were deployed annually to secondary schools. From 2022 to 2024, a total of 8,378 primary school teachers were deployed to JSS to support the first CBC cohorts.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Dr. Macharia stated that TSC recruited 48,550 teachers over the past two financial years for JSS.
Of these, 39,550 were initially interns and have since been confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms, while 9,000 were hired on permanent terms.
The Growing Teacher Shortage
Despite these efforts, a significant gap remains. TSC’s records indicate that 76,928 teachers are currently serving in JSS, which represents 51.5% of the required 149,350 teachers.
This leaves a shortfall of 72,422 teachers, posing a significant challenge for the Commission.
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TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia has emphasized the urgency of bridging this gap to ensure the smooth implementation of CBC in grades 7, 8, and 9.
The Commission’s recent moves underscore its commitment to addressing the crisis, but substantial efforts will be required to meet the growing demands in the education sector.
Over 20,000 Teachers Set for Junior Secondary Deployment in 2025
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