The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has cautioned the Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) against producing primary school teachers due to a lack of available teaching positions.
This information was disclosed by TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia when she attended the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee yesterday.
The matter of unemployed trained teachers arose prominently when Karemba Muchangi, leading the committee, interrogated why numerous graduates remain without jobs despite a significant teacher shortage in various counties.
Macharia indicated that the Commission advised colleges to cease intakes as there is an excess of primary school teachers on the payroll and within the job market.
“After curriculum changes eliminated Standards 6, 7, and 8, we ended up with an overabundance of teachers in some primary schools. We’ve discouraged the training of more primary teachers, yet colleges continue,” Macharia clarified.
It is improbable that colleges will follow this recommendation, as this would threaten their existence since primary school trainee teachers constitute the foundation of their enrollment.
Macharia had previously disclosed that the Commission has a surplus of 18,072 primary school teachers.
The surplus of teachers resulted from the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), which eliminated two classes (Class 7 and 8).
However, TSC has initiated the redeployment of surplus primary school teachers to junior secondary and special schools.
She stated that this will help mitigate shortages in both junior secondary and special schools and units.
Macharia mentioned that Special Needs Schools across the nation are experiencing a shortage of 5,362 teachers.
For junior secondary, she noted that the Commission requires 72,422 teachers to fill the staff gap.
She added that both junior and senior secondary, which will commence in January 2026, require an additional 98,261 teachers to effectively implement CBC.
There are a large number of primary school teachers with Primary Teacher Education (PTE) certificates and others holding a Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) who are still waiting to be employed by TSC.
Some PTE teachers returned to college to upgrade their qualifications to UDPTE to comply with CBC and enhance their chances of employment.
Some frustrated P1 teachers have pledged to protest at TSC Upper Hill offices to demand their employment.
It is a disheartening situation as some PTE teachers graduated in 2012 but have yet to secure employment from TSC.
TSC has redirected teacher employment towards junior and senior schools. TSC is currently focused on hiring secondary school teachers who possess a Diploma or Degree.
There has been no large-scale recruitment for primary school teachers in the past two years, only hiring on a replacement basis.
The recent backdoor replacements of teachers by TSC have further contributed to the frustrations experienced by teachers.
However, Macharia has denied these allegations and distanced the Commission from employment letters that were issued by politicians.
The Commission’s CEO faced accusations yesterday of relinquishing her responsibility for teacher appointments to politicians via the improper issuance of employment letters to them for distribution.
Macharia asserted that the claims were false and that she had merely read about them in the “papers. ”
“…I came across this article in the newspapers. If you visit our website, you will discover how we conduct our hiring process. Nevertheless, I am worried because these occurrences damage TSC’s reputation,” she remarked.
The issue had been raised by Matungu MP Oscar Nabulindo, who inquired why cabinet secretaries are handing out employment letters at political events.
Chairperson Karemba urged for a correction of this situation.
“I think that we are setting a very poor precedent if the hiring of teachers is reliant on the political elite. It is our responsibility to put an end to this matter,” he stated.
‘Sufficient’ TSC advises TTCs to cease training of primary educators.