TSC to Begin Phased Deployment of 6,000 P1 Teachers to JSS.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is set to commence the phased deployment of qualified primary school teachers to junior secondary schools (JSS) as part of efforts to address the acute shortage of teaching staff.
This year, TSC plans to deploy at least 6,000 Primary Teacher Education (PTE) teachers to JSS, tackling a significant portion of the current shortfall of 72,422 teachers.
To facilitate this process, TSC will activate an online application portal, allowing primary school teachers to apply for deployment.
Staff Shortages in JSS Highlighted
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos stated that qualified primary school teachers will progressively be deployed to JSS to ensure adequate staffing.
TSC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nancy Macharia further emphasized that the Commission needs a total of 149,350 teachers to effectively handle Grades 7, 8, and 9.
Presently, 76,928 teachers are employed in JSS, accounting for 51.5% of the required number.
To bridge the gap, TSC has converted 39,550 junior secondary school teachers from internship terms to permanent and pensionable contracts.
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Additionally, 8,378 P1 teachers were deployed to JSS in the past two years, and 9,000 junior secondary school teachers were recruited on permanent and pensionable terms.
The government allocated KSh 4.8 billion for the recruitment of 20,000 JSS teachers on internship terms beginning January.
Retooling Initiatives and Teacher Deployment
The 20,000 intern teachers recruited this year will undergo retooling in January. Since April 2019, TSC has retooled 229,292 teachers in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency-Based Assessment (CBA).
Between May 2023 and November 2024, a total of 60,642 junior secondary school teachers have undergone this retooling process.
The Commission faces mounting pressure to address a looming teacher crisis in JSS, with the current teacher-to-class ratio standing at 1:1.
TSC has been deploying P1 teachers since 2019, partly as a promotion strategy following complaints of career stagnation from teachers who upgraded their qualifications.
Between 2019 and 2021, 1,000 P1 teachers were deployed annually to secondary schools, while 8,378 were deployed between 2022 and 2024 to support the first CBC cohorts in JSS.
Minimum Qualifications for Deployment
Sources have revealed that TSC will strictly require a minimum of a C+ mean grade in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and at least a C+ in two teaching subjects for primary school teachers seeking deployment to JSS.
TSC also plans to deploy surplus secondary school teachers to JSS. The Commission issued a memo instructing Regional, County, and Sub-County Directors, as well as secondary school principals, to register teachers hired after 2015 for deployment.
Principals were required to submit the names of these teachers to Sub-County Directors by October 18, 2024.
The redeployment aims to address idling among secondary school teachers as all secondary schools will lack Form One classes from January 2025 due to the CBC transition.
Read Also: KNEC Final Scoring Framework: KPSEA 20%, SBA 20%, KJSEA 60%
Deployment Based on Subject Combinations
The Commission has directed that teachers be deployed to JSS near their current workstations, with assignments determined by subject combinations, popularly known as subject clusters.
To ensure a smooth transition to Grade 9, CS Migos reported that 14,880 Grade 9 classrooms are ready for learners advancing from Grade 8 in January.
He stated that the government has been constructing 16,000 classrooms nationwide in four phases, with the overall completion rate currently at 93%.
TSC to Begin Phased Deployment of 6,000 P1 Teachers to JSS.
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