Primary School Teachers Protest JSS Deployment Delays Amid TSC Budget Constraints.
Primary school teachers who applied for deployment to Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are expressing frustration over the delay in the deployment process. Teachers are calling on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to take swift action, as the Commission has yet to conclude the deployment of the 6,000 P1 teachers who applied.
Although the TSC opened the online application process on January 13, it has been nearly three months, and the portal remains open with no closure in sight. Teachers are requesting that the Commission end the application process and move forward with document verification to facilitate their promotion to JSS positions.
The delay has been further complicated by concerns over funding. TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia disclosed that the Commission is unable to promote enough teachers annually due to inadequate funds.
Speaking before the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), Macharia emphasized that the insufficient budget allocation is causing a crisis in the education system.
Macharia revealed that while the government allocates Ksh 1 billion annually for teacher promotions, this amount is insufficient to meet the needs of the 500,000-strong teaching workforce. The current budget allows for the promotion of just 6,000 teachers, which continues to demoralize educators and negatively impacts service delivery in schools.
TSC’s Budget Shortfall and Proposed Solutions
Dr. Macharia further explained that TSC requires Ksh 5 billion annually to address teacher stagnation effectively. Despite the ongoing budget constraints, the Commission has been tasked with deploying teachers to address a growing shortage in both junior and senior secondary schools, which is expected to worsen next year.
The Commission is under significant pressure to resolve this shortage. Currently, 98,261 teachers are needed across JSS and secondary schools, but only 76,928 teachers have been employed. The shortfall has left many schools understaffed, and TSC is striving to recruit and deploy more teachers.
The TSC had initially planned to deploy primary school teachers with any education-related diploma or degree. However, the Commission later revised this policy, specifying that P1 teachers must hold a degree in a secondary education option, along with a minimum of C+ in KCSE and C+ in two teaching subjects.
The Commission has also been retooling teachers to meet the demands of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), training over 229,000 teachers since 2019.
TSC has trained 60,642 teachers for JSS from May 2023 to November 2024, and plans to employ an additional 18,000 intern teachers in December.
Deployment Procedure and Required Documentation
Once the application period closes, TSC will begin the process of verifying the documents of shortlisted candidates. Teachers will be required to present original and copies of their degree/diploma certificates, academic transcripts, SNE qualification (if applicable), KCSE certificate, payslip, and a declaration from the school head confirming that the teacher is currently employed and not undergoing disciplinary action.
Deployment decisions will take several factors into account, including proximity to the current station, subject combinations, gender, and SNE qualifications. Teachers with special education qualifications will be deployed to Special JSS.
Qualifications for JSS Deployment
To qualify for deployment to JSS, primary school teachers must meet several requirements:
- Active registration with the Teachers Service Commission.
- Employment as a primary school teacher with TSC.
- No ongoing disciplinary proceedings or interdiction.
- A minimum of a Diploma in Education with a C+ in KCSE (or its equivalent), including C+ in two teaching subjects or two A-level principles and one subsidiary pass.
- Teachers holding a Bachelor of Education degree, but not a Bachelor of Education (Primary Option), are eligible, provided they meet the other qualifications.
The deployment will prioritize teachers who meet these qualifications and align with the needs of the schools.
Read Also: TSC Seeks Increased Funding to Resolve Teacher Promotion Bottleneck
TSC has also been active in recruiting and deploying teachers to address the growing demands of the education system. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, 1,000 P1 teachers were deployed each year to secondary schools. Between 2022 and 2024, around 8,378 teachers were deployed to support the first cohorts of the CBC in JSS.
The Commission continues to face challenges in meeting staffing requirements, and further action is needed to avoid a potential teacher shortage in the coming years.
Primary School Teachers Protest JSS Deployment Delays Amid TSC Budget Constraints.
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