The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced it will deploy practicing primary school teachers to special schools and junior schools across the country by end of this month to address teacher shortage.
Speaking while appearing before the Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee recently, the Commission CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said that there are an excess of 18,057 teachers working in primary school section occasioned by the introduction of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) that saw two classes (Class 7 and 8) being scrapped.
Macharia revealed that TSC will deploy a total of 3,600 teachers drawn from primary and secondary schools to serve in special schools and units as the Commission works on other sets of deployments which will happen in January and June next year, adding that TSC is targeting teachers with Diplomas and Degrese in Special Needs Education (SNE).
“Due to budget constraints, the Commission has developed a phased deployment of teachers to Special Needs schools to address the shortage,” Macharia told the Committee led by Hon Adan Haji.
She revealed that Special Needs Schools in the country were facing a shortage of 5,362 teachers.
Macharia explained that TSC hired and deployed 1,763 teachers to the schools in the month of May 2024.
Primary school teachers with Diplomas in SNE will be posted to serve in primary school special schools and units in line with their areas of specialization.
On junior secondary, Macharia revealed that it needs a total of 70,000 teachers to handle grades 7, 8 and 9.
Currently TSC is planning to deploy over 20,000 PTE teachers with various Diplomas and Degree certificates related to education.
Teachers at grades B5 and C1 who hold a bachelor’s degree will be issued with appointment letters to grade C2.
Teachers at grade B5 who hold a diploma in education related field will be issued with appointment letters to grade C1.
Teachers at grade C2 who hold a bachelor’s degree and were promoted on or before March 26, 2021 will be issued with appointment letters to grade C3.
Teachers at grade C1 who hold a diploma certificate and were promoted on or before March 26, 2021 will be issued with appointment letters to grade C2.
Teachers at grade C1 who hold a diploma certificate and have not completed three or more years will only be issued with deployment letters but will not move a grade as well as teachers at grade C2 who hold a diploma certificate.
The Commission already generated lists from its database per county containing names of P1 teachers with various Diploma and Degree certificates for deployment to grade 9.
TSC also collected additional data of the teachers from Heads of Institutions (HOI’s) that will then be followed by documents verification and subsequent posting at the sub county level.
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In an excel template, TSC wanted primary school heads to provide the teachers’ KCSE mean grade, specialization e.g. BED ARTS, BED Primary option, BED SCIENCE, BED ECDE, BED SNE, Dip in education, Dip SNE, Dip ECDE as well as two teaching subjects with mean grade for those with secondary option.
Listed for deployment were also deputies and head teachers. Currently TSC is facing staffing crisis in junior schools.
TSC has lowered the requirements to teach in junior school with teachers possessing degree in primary option, ECDE and SNE included for deployment.
Previously, teachers were required to have a egree in secondary option with C+ in KCSE as well as C+ in the two teaching subjects for deployment to junior school.
By Vostine Ratemo
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