The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced the availability of 2,014 teaching positions, a decision prompted by natural attrition, aimed at alleviating staffing shortages in educational institutions.
The newly appointed teachers will be employed on permanent and pensionable contracts, with 637 positions designated for senior secondary schools and an additional 32 for junior schools. The majority of the new hires, totaling 1,309, will be allocated to primary schools, with the application process for these positions set to conclude on May 19, 2025.
According to a TSC notice, “The Teachers Service Commission is declaring 2,014 vacancies to replace teachers who exited service through natural attrition, specifically 1,309 posts for primary schools, 32 posts for junior schools, and 673 posts for secondary schools. The recruited teachers will serve under Permanent and Pensionable terms of service.”
Public primary schools that also accommodate junior classes have faced significant staffing challenges, particularly following the transition of over one million students to Grade 9 under the competency-based curriculum (CBC).
In the previous year, the government transitioned 39,550 junior school teachers from contractual to permanent employment, while an additional 8,378 primary school educators were reassigned to junior schools as part of the curriculum upgrades. However, despite these initiatives, a severe teacher shortage persists in the 20,000 junior schools, with TSC data indicating a shortfall of 72,422 educators.
This staffing deficit has resulted in overburdened teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of subject specialists necessary for the effective implementation of the CBC. The government initiated the rollout of the CBC in 2018, introducing significant changes whereby elementary education is divided into pre-primary and primary stages, lasting two and six years, respectively. Consequently, the final year of primary education is Grade 6, after which students transition to junior secondary, encompassing Grades 7 to 9.
The CBC, which prioritizes practical learning and individualized instruction, necessitates smaller class sizes and subject-specific teaching expertise, thereby exacerbating the existing teacher shortage.
Candidates applying for the advertised positions must be Kenyan citizens, possess a P1 certificate for primary school roles, or hold a diploma in education for junior and secondary school positions, in addition to being registered teachers with the TSC. This recruitment initiative follows calls from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) for the TSC to prioritize higher academic qualifications in teacher recruitment rather than relying solely on Form Four examination results.
