Is TSC planning mass teacher reshuffle ahead of Grade 10 Senior School rollout?

The possibility of a major reshuffle among secondary school teachers seems increasingly likely as institutions prepare to admit the first group of Senior School students in January.

A recent Ministry of Education document, “National Report: County-Based Dialogue on Education Quality and Learning Outcomes in Competency-Based Education (CBE)”, outlines the shift from Junior to Senior Secondary and proposes redeploying teachers to address the current shortages.

The document recommends redistributing teachers based on the specific academic programmes schools offer. This may result in thousands of teachers being transferred across different counties and regions.

It points out that numerous schools face severe shortages, particularly in technical and vocational education.

This shortage is especially pronounced in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), raising concerns about the standard of education in senior schools.

As highlighted in the report, other specialised subjects, such as Music in Creative Arts, Special Needs Education (SNE), and Pre-Technical Studies, are also experiencing gaps.

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Should the plan go ahead, it could spark considerable debate as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) seeks to implement it. Past large-scale transfers have often led to strong opposition from teacher unions and local communities.

For example, in 2018, the TSC faced major protests following the implementation of a delocalisation policy, which aimed to move teachers away from their home areas to promote national unity.

Many teachers affected by the policy reported problems such as family separations, emotional distress, financial difficulties, and struggles adjusting to new environments.

At the time, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) condemned the transfers, arguing that they were punitive rather than aimed at reform and that there had been insufficient consultation beforehand.

By Joseph Mambili