The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has proposed a new administrative framework aimed at resolving ongoing tensions between primary school heads and junior school teachers over leadership and professional autonomy.
The initiative seeks to clearly define roles within comprehensive schools, which were created when junior schools were integrated into primary institutions in 2023.
Under the plan, comprehensive schools would be led by a principal supported by two deputies, one responsible for the primary section and the other overseeing the junior school. TSC says the arrangement will balance authority and create clearer reporting lines, but legal amendments are required before it can be fully implemented.
TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni outlined the proposal while responding to senators’ questions in Mombasa.
“We actually have a challenge there. Even our junior school teachers do not respect the heads, especially when they know that they are P1-trained teachers. But this is a transitional period. Before the laws are enacted to recognise comprehensive schools, the primary school head teachers are still in charge of the junior school,” she explained.
She was responding to Senate Education Committee vice chairperson, Prof Margaret Kamar, who asked how TSC handles disputes between primary heads and junior school teachers.
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“Until that happens, our head teachers are helping us, and they have guidelines on how to handle the situation. But at the moment, they are assisting us with junior school matters,” Lentoijoni added.
Since integration, teachers’ unions, including the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya Association of Junior School Teachers (KAJST), have been calling for greater autonomy for junior school staff. They argue that being under primary school heads has limited their professional growth and career advancement.
Over the weekend during a State House meeting, KUPPET Secretary-General Akello Misori suggested that junior schools could be attached to secondary schools. His proposal was met with jeers from some teachers, reflecting the strong feelings surrounding school management and career prospects.
Lentoijoni further explained that the TSC is reviewing staffing norms in line with recommendations from the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
“Two to three weeks ago, we received the guidelines on the rationalisation of senior schools, and last year we received the same for junior schools, due to reforms implemented by the Education Taskforce. The review is necessary because of these reforms,” she said.
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The review will help determine the exact number of teachers needed in junior schools and align staffing to the new administrative structure. Currently, TSC applies secondary school staffing norms, which has contributed to gaps and tensions.
She added that the TSC has since received all the guidelines from the MoE which will enable them to determine the exact numbers needed in the junior secondary schools.
The Ministry of Education has drafted Bills to formalise the legal recognition of comprehensive schools, a step that TSC says is essential for the new structure to operate effectively.
“Although comprehensive schools are not yet legally recognized, MoE has drafted Bills that are pending in the National Assembly,” she said.
President William Ruto instructed Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to fast-track the Bills to resolve issues affecting competency-based education and school management. The move signals the government’s intent to support both leadership clarity and the professional development of junior school teachers.
By Juma Ndigo
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