Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers under the Gucha Branch held their Annual General Meeting on Sunday under their interim officials, where they made a strong call for the autonomy of Junior Secondary Schools from Comprehensive Schools.
The teachers said they have endured persistent challenges while operating under primary school headteachers, a situation they said has created unnecessary misunderstanding in school management.
According to the teachers, the biggest cause of friction is the academic and education system gap between them and the heads of comprehensive schools. While JSS teachers are trained to handle the secondary education curriculum under the Competency-Based Education system, most comprehensive school headteachers are primary-trained and use a primary school management approach. This difference in training, mindset and expectations has brought about daily conflicts on timetabling, discipline, assessment and resource allocation.
The interim officials highlighted several pressing issues affecting JSS teachers in the region. The first is acute understaffing, with many schools in Gucha having only two to three JSS teachers handling all learning areas from Grade 7 to 9, against a requirement of at least nine teachers. This has led to overworking, burnout and poor syllabus coverage.
The second is poor remuneration and career stagnation. The teachers complained of low house allowance despite teaching at secondary level, lack of promotion opportunities, and delayed confirmation to permanent and pensionable terms for many who are still on internship.
The third is wrong teacher subject placement. Teachers reported being forced to teach subjects outside their specialisation to fill gaps, which compromises quality and demoralises the teacher — citing a science teacher forced to teach History or a language teacher handling Integrated Science as common examples.
The meeting was attended by KUPPET Executive Secretary Joseph Abincha, who encouraged the teachers to remain committed to their calling.
"Love the children you teach. Teaching is a noble profession. Despite the challenges you face, the learner must remain at the centre," Abincha said.
The occasion was graced by Kisii County Nominated Senator Essy Okenyuri, who promised to champion the welfare of JSS teachers at the national level.
"I am a lover of education, and this is evident from what I do. I dress in school uniform as I move from one institution to another, encouraging our children. I love you too," Okenyuri said.
She urged the teachers to remain honest and dedicated to their work and wished them good health and success as they prepare their learners to tackle the final term of the year with national assessments and other internal examinations.
The teachers resolved to petition the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission to fast-track the autonomy of Junior Secondary Schools, provide adequate staffing, and address remuneration and deployment concerns. They said autonomy will not only restore dignity to JSS teachers but will also improve learning outcomes for the pioneer CBE learners.
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