Learners in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are bearing the brunt of confusion in school leadership and staffing, teachers in Isiolo County have warned.
During a forum organised by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), the educators said placing JSS under the management of primary school headteachers had created confusion over staff deployment, resource allocation, and co-curricular activities.
They argued that the lack of a clear policy framework was jeopardising the competency-based curriculum’s rollout at junior level.
According to KUPPET’s Isiolo branch, sports and other co-curricular programmes have been particularly disrupted because preparation for JSS competitions differs sharply from that of primary school learners.
Branch Executive Secretary Moses Kimwere noted that severe staffing shortages had forced some teachers to take on subjects outside their area of training, increasing workloads and eroding quality.
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“Teachers are overstretched and resources thinly spread, which compromises learner outcomes,” he said.
Kimwere added that placing JSS under primary school management contradicts career progression guidelines for secondary-level teachers, creating uncertainty and stalling professional growth.
Sophia Mukami, a JSS teacher in Isiolo, said the current set-up also affects learners directly. Sharing the same environment with primary pupils, she argued, hinders adolescents’ growth, identity formation, and self-awareness.
“Junior schools should have their own space and leadership to nurture learners appropriately,” she said.
KUPPET branch chairman Gilbert Wafula urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to convert JSS internship contracts to permanent and pensionable terms, saying most of the teachers have served for years without job security.
He stressed that granting autonomy would allow JSS to manage resources independently, improve education standards and provide a clear career path for teachers.
The calls from Isiolo mirror a nationwide push by teachers’ unions for the government to rethink the structure of JSS.
This comes at a time when education stakeholders argue that without clearer management, adequate staffing and full autonomy, the promise of the competency-based curriculum could be compromised.
The government has yet to issue a formal response, but pressure is mounting to address teachers’ grievances before the next academic calendar begins.
By our reporter
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